Last year Budweiser struck Super Bowl commercial gold with their adorable ad “Puppy Love,” which told the story of an unlikely friendship between a yellow Labrador and the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales. This year the King of Beers is sticking to the subject of their original success: camaraderie. In their latest installment – the first being their 2013 ad “Brotherhood” – “Lost Dog” follows our favorite yellow lab and his treacherous journey home after jumping out of his owner’s truck. The pup ultimately finds his way back to the farm, but not before facing a few wild hardships and needing the help of his massive, furry friends.
“This year is more about [the fact that] your really good friends are the friends you can count on,” explains Mike Byrne, Executive Creative Director of Anomaly, the company behind all three ads. “[The friends that] you call up at 2am and say, ‘Hey man, I’m in this situation,’ and they’ll hop out of bed and come help you out. This year is about the lengths we go to [to] be there for our friends.”
The three-day shoot took place on a horse ranch in Los Alamos, California, and we were lucky enough to hang out on set for a day with the Budweiser crew, which included director Jake Scott and his clan of golden labs. Hard day at work, right? Check out behind the scenes photos and the company’s ad below. Needless to say, Budweiser wins again.
Check out our exclusive interview with Mike Byrne here.
The yellow Labrador puppy in the ad is actually 8 puppies (7 female and 1 male).
The hero puppy wears a red collar and is switched between dogs when put on screen. The others wear different color collars in order for the trainer to tell which one is which.
The puppies were 11 – 12 1/2 weeks old at the time of filming.
Don Jeanes reprises his role as the Budweiser Clydesdale trainer for the third time. He’s an amazing guy… and I’m not just saying that because we are from the same hometown in Texas.
It was amazing to see firsthand how well-trained the Clydesdale are. They hit their marks like pros every time.
A view inside the stable scene.
Seven Budweiser Clydesdales underwent special training for three months to fine-tune their skills for “Lost Dog.”
The Budweiser Clydesdales graze as they await their next scene.
The 1st AD gets a little face time with the star of the show.
The puppy and Don hang out on set while the crew changes location.
The Budweiser Clydesdale team was driven in from St. Louis, Missouri.
The puppy gets dirtied up for the run home.
We watched the action on-screen inside the client video van.
