🧨 THE MOMENT THIS BUDWEISER AD ENDED, THE INTERNET SPLIT IN TWO. Some saw hope. Some saw loss. Others saw a goodbye no one was ready for. “American Icons” builds slowly, almost patiently, until the eagle takes flight under “Free Bird” and leaves a single unanswered image behind. Budweiser never explains it — and that silence is exactly why this Super Bowl ad broke the rules and took over the conversation. See what everyone’s arguing about 👇👇

Budweiser wins USA Today’s Super Bowl Ad Meter second year in a row

Budweiser worked with BBDO New York on the spot, which was directed by Henry-Alex Rubin. (Budweiser)

AP

By
Adrianne Pasquarelli

February 09, 2026 11:00 AM EST

Super Bowl viewers sure do love those Clydesdales. Budweiser’s “American Icon” ad took the top spot on USA Today’s Super Bowl Ad Meter. The beer brand’s all-American commercial showed a horse helping a baby eagle grow up and achieve flight. This is the second consecutive Ad Meter win for Budweiser.

Super Bowl Hot Take: Budweiser’s Clydesdale and Eagle Soar, but Don’t Quite Stick the Landing

The cute duo flew too close to the Americana sun

February 8, 2026
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2 min read

Budweiser’s ad featured two American icons.Budweiser

By Rebecca Stewart

THE AD: Budweiser went full Americana in its Super Bowl 60 ad, with a story showcasing the unlikely friendship between two “American Icons:” a Clydesdale horse and a bald eagle. The spot from BBDO is part of the brewer’s ongoing “Made Of America” 150th anniversary campaign, overlapping with America’s 250th birthday. Set to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” it also featured a real Budweiser barley farmer.

MY TAKE: Over the years, Budweiser’s Clydesdales, sometimes with the help of playful puppies, have pulled off some genuine emotional heavy lifting without feeling weighed down by subtext.

This time feels different. The addition of a bald eagle, combined with the swelling Dad rock soundtrack, and the two farmers watching on adds an edge of patriotism and symbolism.

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With the fallout from sister brand Bud Light’s 2023 Dylan Mulvaney partnership in the rear view mirror, both Budweiser and Bud Light have been anchoring themselves to an unmistakably safe version of the U.S., avoiding anything that risks being read as cultural commentary. This Super Bowl is no different.

It goes without saying that the eagle chick is cute, and some of the shots are stunning. However, as an outsider looking in on the U.S., this ad feels like it’s trumpeting a storybook vision of America, rather than reflecting the country as it is today.

But, maybe that’s the point.

Watch Budweiser’s Super Bowl 60 ad, “American Icons,” below.