Sohini Sen
Digital

Viral Now: Puppy Love Comes Back

Budweiser recreates the SuperBowl charm with the trusted Labrador, this time promoting responsible drinking.

Budweiser - the beer brand - has brought back its adorable puppy from the famous Super Bowl commercial. In a new video titled 'Friends are Waiting, Budweiser celebrates the 'Global Be(er) Responsible Day'.

Viral Now: Puppy Love Comes Back
The minute-long video promotes responsible drinking through a touching video, which shows the friendship between a young man and his dog. The video begins by showing the man playing with a puppy. A background score with apt lyrics plays along ("You and me were meant for love. A lifetime is not long enough to show you, what you mean to me"). As the pup grows into a young Lab, the man continues to be around him - playing and cuddling, taking him out for runs and drives alike.

It then focuses on one night when the man goes out for a party with his friends. His friend is shown carrying out a crate of Buds as he says a goodbye to the dog. The video, with a foot-tapping background score, then shows the dog waiting patiently for the man's return. A super then comes on screen saying 'For some, the waiting never ended' as we hear the dog whimpering in the background. The screen then gives some hope saying 'But we can change that'.

The next scene is a happy one where the man is shown returning home in the morning. He apologises to his Lab and explaining to him that he thought it was better to not drive home since he had been drinking. The video ends with the words 'Make a plan to make it home. Your friends are counting on you' and the Budweiser logo shot.

For those who remember, Budweiser had used a similar Labrador - but a puppy - in its Emmy-nominated Clydesdales Super Bowl ad named 'Puppy Love'. The previous video focused on the friendship between a Labrador puppy and a horse in a farm. Both the videos chose to use some wordplay, taking the term 'buds' to mean both the brand and friends.

The current video has been designed by Anomaly. The Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned brand has also used Momentum Worldwide as the creative consultant. The video has garnered nearly 13 million hits since its release on September 19, 2014.

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