Immigration is currently a heated topic in the US, with President Trump signing an executive order on January 27 to halt all refugee admissions and temporarily bar people from seven countries from entering the US. While a federal judge in Seattle has since temporarily blocked the order, both sides have been invited to present more arguments.
Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad
Coca-Cola's Super Bowl advert, on the theme of 'America is Beautiful', focuses on diversity by featuring different cultures and languages.
As with Budweiser's ad, it does not mention Trump or his policies. Although originally released in 2014, its airing at Super Bowl LI has also been identified as a potential dig at the President.
Anheuser-Busch’s one minute Super Bowl ad (which you can watch below) tells the tale of Adolphus Busch’s arrival in America in 1857. The clip shows people telling him ‘You’re not wanted here, go back home’, but Busch perseveres and travels to St. Louis where he meets co-founder Eberhard Anheuser.
The ad, titled ‘Born the Hard Way’, was some eight months in the making and does not mention Trump or his policies, but its Super Bowl airing date came as Trump’s stance on immigration continues to dominate the headlines.
Some Trump supporters have taken the advert as a direct political statement against the President; with Conservative website Freedom Daily calling it a 'disgusting Super Bowl commercial where they [Budweiser] take a vile jab at our president'. It concludes that, 'For all of you out there who support our president, it's a no brainer at this point that it's time to boycott'.
In the meantime, Trump critics have hit back and congratulated Budweiser on its choice of theme. Others have said that politics should have no place in Super Bowl.
Budweiser is one of the top selling beers in the US and positioned as the ‘Great American Lager’, although it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Belgian brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev.
The advert was designed to ‘draw inspiration from the story of founder Adolphus Busch, to celebrate the brand’s enduring ambition and hustle in pursuit of the American dream – 141 years and counting’ according to Anheuser-Busch.
It also seeks to resonate with today’s entrepreneurial generation, continues the company (as quoted in the Independent).
The advert was released last week ahead of the Super Bowl LI on Sunday (February 5), with the Super Bowl attracting more than 100 million viewers.
