Budweiser is no stranger to creating emotional ads that tug at your heart strings, so I should have been prepared when watching their new film, but I wasn’t. Their latest is a Father’s Day video that focuses on the fathers who stepped up; the stepfathers to be more exact. 

“On a day when the world celebrates fathers, Budweiser wants to shine an unexpected light on fatherhood. That’s why this Father’s Day, Budweiser is toasting stepfathers who love their stepchildren like their own.”

– Monica Rustgi, Vice President of Marketing for Budweiser

Budweiser Father's Day Film features 3 real stepfathers
Budweiser

The Budweiser Father’s Day film features three real families with children who surprise their dads by asking for them to officially remove the “step” from their stepfather titles. It’s emotional to say the least. Here is a little info about the three families you will see from Budweiser’s ad:

  • Victor and Mark: Victor was in middle school when he was introduced to Mark and as any teenager would, he had a hard time accepting a new authority figure in his life. As Victor grew up, he began to realize his resentment was unnecessary, and he quickly grew to accept Mark as his dad and even, a friend. Despite his best efforts to play it cool, Victor makes an emotional ask for Mark to become his dad.
  • Chloe and Randall: Growing up in Vallejo, CA, Chloe had gotten accustomed to her life living alone with her mom. When Chloe was nine, her mom met Randall and she immediately resented him and tried to push him away. But he never stopped trying and eventually, Chloe grew to see him as ‘dad’. And so with this film, 16 years later, Chloe made the decision to ask Randall to officially adopt her.
  • Shaelyn & Paul: Shealyn met Paul when she was only six, and she did all but make it easy for him to win her over. But Paul was there to stay and never gave up on showing that to Shaelyn, going above and beyond to prove his love for both her and her mom. Eventually, he won her over. And now, more than 25 years later and in advance of her own nuptials, Shaelyn made their relationship official by asking Paul to legally adopt her.

I can relate a lot to these three families, as the person I called dad was my stepfather, Dave. We never discussed the adoption process because I still had a relationship with my own father, however he was very close to me. He has since passed away, but his memories and life lessons live on and will be with me forever. This Bud’s for you, Dave!

Budweiser is taking this Father’s Day video a step further by donating $1 to the Stepfamily Foundation for every comment the film receives on social media, a nonprofit that supports blended families.