Budweiser’s ‘Puppy Love’ Super Bowl Commercial Proves that Cute Animals Win Customers

I’ll say it: Super Bowl XLVIII was arguably the most boring championship game I’ve seen (although Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS was awful as well). But the good thing about the Super Bowl, no matter how disappointing the sport theatrics are, is the fact that we’re treated to the biggest marketing extravaganza of the year. In 2014, marketers spent $4 million for 30-second commercials.

And that’s just to buy the slots. It doesn’t include hiring talent like Scarlett Johannson, Bob Dylan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQB7QRyF4p4]

Cumulatively, marketers might spend as much as $10 million on Super Bowl commercials. With that much cash on stake, it’s imperative that they invest the money wisely, creating as good an ad as possible in order to attract as many new prospective customers as they can.

But is there a trick to ensuring a well-received commercial? There very well might be, and it appears as though Budweiser mastered it last night.

Want to create a successful commercial? Well, all you have to do is make sure you put cute animals in it.

Budweiser, a company that is certainly known for its clever Super Bowl advertising campaigns, unveiled its latest creation Sunday night. The commercial, called ‘Puppy Love’, scored rave reviews in the wake of the Super Bowl.

The ad depicts the friendship between a golden retriever puppy and a Clydesdale, the classic Budweiser mascot. Eventually, the puppy and the Clydesdale appear as though they are going to be separated. The puppy is hauled off in a car, much to the chagrin of his equestrian counterpart. The horse then ultimately trots after the car, and with his buddies in tow, stops the vehicle in its tracks. The two animals are then reunited, and everyone is happy.

At of the time of this writing, the commercial had attracted more than 38 million views on YouTube, a testament to the beer company’s creation of a masterful advertisement. Cute animals tend to be taking over the Internet these days, and subsequently taking over the hearts and minds of many consumers. For whatever reason, the Facebook account of Boo, a Pomeranian, has more Facebook likes than Will.I.Am. of the Black Eyed Peas by a tally of 6.8 million to 6.1 million. Animals are popular, and keen marketers know that they have a good chance of success by including them in their ads.

Today’s customers are very particular in what they like. Wise marketers study such trends and capitalize on understanding their audience. Budweiser’s latest commercial is a testament of understanding the power cute animals have to win viewers, and because of that understanding, the company emerged just as victorious as the Seahawks last night.