Budweiser has been waiting 150 years for this brand moment

If I had to name my Mount Rushmore of brands seen as quintessentially American around the globe, it would probably be Levi’s, Harley-Davidson, McDonald’s, and Budweiser. 

While there are an impressive number of iconic American brands—Apple, Coca-Cola, Nike, Google, Amazon, and Walmart among them—only a few have an identity that is also closely tied to the idea of “America” itself. 

So it should come as no surprise that Budweiser is tapping that identity to simultaneously celebrate America’s 250th, along with its own 150th anniversary. The brand just launched a new spot called “Great Delivery” to start its summer campaign that will also include limited-edition patriotic cans, and the Budweiser Clydesdales hitting the road to bring the mission of its non-profit partner Folds of Honor to communities across the country.

Here we see Clydesdale-led wagons packed to the rim with beer making their way across the country to the wild shirtless lyrics, bong-rattling bass, and confident drumwork of Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re an American Band.”  

Anheuser-Busch senior vice-president Todd Allen says the goal is to make this summer the most celebrated Budweiser has ever had. “Brands don’t turn 150 years old every year, and our anniversary lining up with America’s 250th birthday gives Budweiser a once-in-a-lifetime moment to celebrate,” says Allen. “When a brand has been part of the fabric of a country for more than half its history, a milestone like this isn’t just a marketing moment, but a chance to celebrate that shared heritage and the people who are part of it.”

Allen is absolutely right, and given the occasion, Budweiser should be treating this entire year as one big Super Bowl. But if 2026 is particularly special, here’s hoping the generic look and feel of “The Great Delivery” is just the opening salvo in a summer of more inspiring work. 

Hot ‘MURICA Summer

The year got off to such a great start for Budweiser at the Super Bowl, with the undeniably charming “American Icons,” featuring the budding friendship between a Clydesdale and a bald eagle. 

If the brand truly does see this year as more than a mere marketing moment, it needs to treat it as such. Sure, patriotic cans are cool, but also something the brand did in 2016 for its 140th anniversary. 

I’ve got my own Hot ‘MURICA Summer idea for Budweiser. Remember the brand’s epic 2017 Super Bowl spot “Born the Hard Way”? It was a 60-second version of the story behind company co-founder Adolphus Busch’s 1857 journey stateside from Hamburg, Germany, and meeting Eberhard Anheuser.

Now that AB InBev has that significant deal with Netflix, let’s get a director like Peter Berg—a master of straddling both Hollywood and brand content—to helm a full-on miniseries based on that same story. 

One of the best ways to celebrate America today, amid an unprecedented level of political polarization, is to dip back into our shared history. This story has everything: an immigrant’s tale, the American West, the drama of entrepreneurship, and of course, beer. Hey, if they can do it for the House of Guinness, why not the King of Beers?

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