Anheuser Busch spent a great deal of money to say what so many of us want to say and I appreciate their efforts. It would be a good trend to see other companies honor and esteem these heroes of ours.
My hope is that Anheuser Busch continues to show this commercial for quite a while. Perhaps it will spur people to buy a cup of coffee or pick up the tab when we see military personnel in a restaurant, or simply say a heartfelt "thank you."
Oh, thanks for the thread! I wondered if those were real military personnel, though I thought so because of their bearing. That commercial was awesome.
Company Offers Free Admission to Its Adventure Parks,
Will Air 'Salute' Ad During Broadcast of Super Bowl
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.
(NYSE: BUD) today announced its "Heroes Salute" to honor the U.S. Armed
Services by offering free single-day admission to its SeaWorld and Busch
Gardens parks to active duty military, active reservists, U.S. Coast Guard,
National Guardsmen and as many as three direct dependents beginning Feb. 7
through Dec. 31, 2005. In addition, Anheuser-Busch will air a 60-second
"salute" television ad during the broadcast of the Super Bowl to honor those
who serve our country.
Heroes Salute will be officially introduced to the military on Feb. 6 in
conjunction with a special Anheuser-Busch viewing party for Sunday's big game
at Ft. Bragg, N.C., home of the XVIII CAPITAL AIRBORNE CORPS and U.S. ARMY
Special Operations Command. Pre-game activities include appearances by the
world-famous Clydesdales, exotic animals and shows from Busch Gardens and
SeaWorld parks with Julie Scardina, the Jacksonville Jaguar Cheerleaders, live
music by Blues Traveler and game-day food and beverages compliments of
Anheuser-Busch. Guests will also be treated to a special "sneak preview"
presentation of Anheuser-Busch's advertising for Super Sunday's championship
match up.
"In our own small way, we're giving something back to the brave men and
women and their families who make sacrifices every day for our country," said
August A. Busch IV, president, Anheuser-Busch Inc. "As a salute to America's
heroes, we wish to extend a message of thanks and an invitation."
Any active duty, active reserve, ready reserve service member or National
Guard is entitled to free admission under the program. He or she need only
register, either online at http://www.herosalute.com or in the entrance plaza
of participating parks, and show a Department of Defense photo ID. As many as
three direct dependents of military personnel also are entitled to free
admission. Dependents may take advantage of the offer without their service
member, though an adult must accompany minor dependents.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg and SeaWorld San Antonio are seasonal
operations that will remain closed until spring 2005. Military personnel
interested in visiting those parks should check operating schedules at
http://www.herosalute.com . The remaining parks, SeaWorld Orlando, Busch
Gardens Tampa Bay and SeaWorld San Diego are open year round.
Anheuser-Busch has previously honored U.S. armed forces with free
admission to its theme parks. Nearly 2 million service members and their
families visited free during Yellow Ribbon Summer following the first Gulf War
and during the Anheuser-Busch Salute to America's Heroes, a post-9/11 tribute
that included all branches of the U.S. military.
In addition, last year Anheuser-Busch donated $1 million to create the
Intrepid/Anheuser-Busch Fallen Heroes Fund to provide scholarships to spouses
and children of U.S. military and coalition personnel killed during the war in
Iraq.
Anheuser-Busch has supported the U.S. armed services for nearly 150 years.
In 1921, Adolphus Busch's widow, Lilly, opened the Busch family garden to the
public, donating admission fees to disabled veterans.
The company also supports veterans' memorials in Washington, the Korean
Memorial and the Vietnam Wall. The company also provides scholarship funds
for USO members and Desert Storm survivors.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. is the leading U.S. brewer
and holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer. In a
survey of 10,000 business leaders and securities analysts, Anheuser-Busch
ranked first overall in quality of products and services among nearly 600
companies researched in FORTUNE magazine's 2004 "America's Most Admired
Companies" listing. The company also is one of the largest theme park
operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and
is the world's largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more
information, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com .
Doug, Please find information you requested below. To answer a few of your other questions, the ad was shot in January at LAX, several branches of the military were included and 10 soldiers were used for the ad.
Thank you!
Gayla Daugherty
Anheuser-Busch
314.577.7530
For attribution to:
Bob Lachky
Vice President - Brand Management
Director - Global Creative
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Our commercial titled "Applause" that first aired on the Super Bowl broadcast is a heartfelt message from our company to say thank you to all military personnel for the sacrifices they make for our country. Actual military personnel from a variety of branches appeared in the commercial that was filmed in mid-January at Los Angeles International Airport, as well as a mix of actors and bystanders who portrayed travelers in the airport. DDB-Chicago created the spot that is based loosely on an actual experience that a DDB creative director witnessed while traveling recently.
Anheuser-Busch has many employees who are serving in the military or who have family members and relatives in the service, and we've supported the U.S. armed forces for nearly 150 years. Yesterday, we threw a Super Bowl party for more than 1,000 troops in Fort Bragg, N.C. as another sign of our appreciation for their efforts. As part of the "Heroes Salute" program, Anheuser-Busch is offering military and three of their family members free admittance to our SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks for the remainder of the year. More information is available online at www.herosalute.com.
ping
I work for American Airlines at DFW airport and have seen this scene repeated every time we have a military flight arrive here (they all arrive either here or BWI) and the soldiers disperse to take their connecting flights home. Just four days ago I had 37 soldiers returning from Iraq on R and R on our flight. As I made the boarding announcements, I told the other passengers that we had young men and women who were really anxious to get home and we were going to allow them to board first and get settled in before beginning general boarding. As the soldiers stepped up to walk down the jetbridge, everyone in the waiting area clapped. Passengers hurrying to their next flight, airport employees and crew members all stopped and joined in.
One young girl whistled really loud and long. The soldiers loved it. They were grinning and waving to everyone. One of the last ones to board asked if he could hug me. As he did he said, "We came from Mosul two days ago. We were getting shot at up until the time we left there. You have no idea what your kindness and this recognition means to all of us." I replied, "No, thank you. You have no idea what your service and sacrifice means to all of us here!"
As I looked around, I saw tears in many eyes. It was a brief, great moment. We love honoring these young men and women in this small way.
Yep, I was so impressed with the commercial, I've decided to drink bud on a more regular basis.
bookmark bump
More background on "The Commercial".
I live in kNE TX. There is a group of people in the Dallas area that meet planes at DFW to welcome home the soldiers. Some of those doing the greeting are Nam vets - certainly a different welcome than they got.