There’s no doubt that the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales are an eye-catcher and the beer maker plans to showcase the horses during its mobile tour to salute the nation’s troops.
The Here’s to the Heroes Tour 2005 includes 16 Clydesdales, a variety of exotic animals from Sea World and Busch Gardens and two mobile television studios where visitors can tape and send messages to American troops overseas.
The tour covers 21 cities in 10 weeks, culminating in St. Louis with a July 4 celebration. Along the way stops include local festivals, Major League Baseball games, parades and bike rallies.
Visitors to the 10-foot by 10-foot recording studio can film 10- to 30-second messages and can select one of three background images for the messages: Shamu (Sea World’s famous killer whale) jumping out of the water; the Clydesdales hitch trotting down a path in the spring time; and “golden liquid” or a close-up of Budweiser liquid. The messages will be played on American Forces Radio and Television Service at U.S. military outposts in more than 177 countries worldwide and on the Pentagon Channels, which reaches 150 U.S. military bases. Select videos will also appear on Budweiser.com.
Any visitor who records a message will be asked to fill out a release and their names will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a Clydesdale visit to their hometown to honor local heroes.
The mobile exhibit also features a display that details the company’s 150-year history of military support, Anheuser-Busch said.
The tour supports the brand’s “Everyday Heroes” Clydesdale TV commercials set to air from Memorial Day through July 4 as well as its “Here’s to the Heroes” salute program that offers a single-day complimentary admission to Anheuser-Busch’s Sea World, Busch Gardens or Sesame Place parks to members of the military and up to three direct dependents.
The tour also supports the Department of Defense’s America Supports You program, a nationwide program that communicates American’s support of the Armed Forces. The Spark Agency is the agency handling logistics of the tour.
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