Page 142 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

Sport in Advertising • 131

through the trees. Two horses stood facing another small group of horses, accompanied

by two men in red Budweiser caps. One of the men announced, ‘The final horse for this
year’s team is Thunder.’ The horse identified as Thunder walked over to the group, leav-

ing its companion on its own. The remaining horse was consoled by the man: ‘Maybe
next year, Hank.’ A close-up of Hank was accompanied by slow, sad music as the rejected
horse watched others that had earned places on the team preparing to pull the Budweiser
wagon. The scene ended with a barking Dalmatian running over to the horse, as Hank
whinnied his response. The dog trotted away, and Hank followed behind.
The next scene opened with the dog running down a dirt lane, with Hank behind
him, to the sound of the Rocky theme tune. A series of training scenes followed, as
Hank was shown getting stronger and faster through the course of a year. Hank was
depicted hoisting a bale of hay up to the loft of a barn with the dog perched on top
and going though tough night exercises as the dog watched in the pouring rain. In

the light of day, Hank was then shown pulling an empty flatbed of a freight train
against a mountain backdrop. Amidst autumn leaves, the pair continued to train, and
in a winter landscape, Hank was shown completing weaving manoeuvres through

birch trees in the snow. The final training scene returned to the railroad, as Hank was
shown finally capable of pulling a fully loaded freight car down the track. The scene

revealed Hank’s new found speed and strength as the Rocky song reached its climax,
recalling Rocky’s triumphant run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The words ‘One year later’ appeared on the screen. Heraldic music played as Hank
whinnied, emerging from the barn, in full harness, led by a Budweiser employee.
The man who rejected him before announced, ‘Welcome aboard, Hank.’ The Dalma-
tion barked and was shown lifting a paw to give Hank a high five. The fi nal scene

showed the full cart with Hank on the team, as the Budweiser logo and strapline ap-
peared on the screen, ‘The Great American Lager’.

Sport, Animals and Ideology

The advertisement drew on familiar themes of hard work and meritocracy that are
often associated with sporting practices and US national identity as the ‘land of oppor-
tunity’. The appeal of the advertisement was attributed to its positive, heart-warming
message during a time of political and economic unrest in the United States. Ac-
cording to Lachky, the chief creative offi cer for Anheuser Busch, ‘it is a spot about
tradition, about the little guy succeeding’ (Horowitz 2008). The story was invested
with connotations of blue-collar or working-class codes. For example, the Dalma-

tian is associated with the profession of fi refighting, and the Clydesdale is a strong
working horse. The Clydesdale is known in popular imagery as a symbol of Bud-
weiser, serving as a nostalgic reference to the past, when horses, rather than trucks,
delivered Budweiser beer. The familiar music from Rocky worked intertextually by
invoking the film’s themes of working-class struggle, the pursuit of success, hard