David Barron previews the best ads for today’s big game.
Back for three: Humble native stars in Budweiser ad with puppy, Clydesdale
Just like Al Pacino, Mel Gibson and, to strain a point, R2-D2 or Buzz Lightyear, Don Jeanes this year becomes the star of his very own onscreen trilogy, unfolding 60 seconds at a time.
Jeanes, 34, who grew up in Humble, on Sunday will make his third Super Bowl commercial appearance as a kind-hearted Clydesdale trainer. “Lost Dog,” a follow-up to last year’s “Puppy Love” spot for Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Budweiser brand, was released Wednesday on YouTube and had more than 6.7 mil- lion views by Thursday.
With his three Super Bowl appearances, Jeanes is halfway to matching Tom Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback who Sunday appears in his sixth championship game.
But unlike Brady, whose team has come up short in his last two Super Bowl appearances, Jeanes always Budweiser’s puppy is best buds with a Clydesdale and Don Jeanes in a trilogy of Super Bowl commercials.
wins. “Puppy Love” won last year’s USA Today Ad Meter contest, and “Brotherhood,” his 2013 debut for Budweiser, in January won an online poll in conjunction with the CBS show “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials” as the alltime fan favorite among Super Bowl ads.
Jeanes, however, knows his place in the Budweiser star system. He’s definitely second banana, he said, to Clydesdales and to golden Labrador puppies.
“I remember picking up one of the puppies and putting it over my shoulder and thinking, ‘There’s no way I can compete with this. He’s just so cute,’ ” Jeanes said, laughing. “You can’t compete with that kind of cuteness. It doesn’t matter: young or old, male or female, you see that puppy and your heart just melts.”
But Robert Horowitz, who produces the “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials” series, said Jeanes underestimates his own appeal.
“What makes those spots resonate is that Don is as every bit as important in those spots as the puppy,” Horowitz said. “They cast him perfectly for that spot. I think it’s going to continue to rate among the favorites, and I think it’s one of those things where people will wait to see what will be the next step in the story.
“You’ve got a combination of a believable, greatlooking guy and a puppy. And how can you not love a puppy? I think it (the series) keeps going.”
Unruly, which tracks video sharing across various social media platforms, said the ads featuring Jeanes resonate with viewers because they veer away from humor, which is the most common trigger point for Super Bowl ads, and evoke responses of happiness, warmth and sadness.
A lot of that emotional response, of course, has to do with the fact that viewers love dogs and horses. And as for the cold, hard facts of what ads are designed to accomplish, Unruly said it found that 89 percent of respondents were able to relate “Puppy Love” to Budweiser.
This year’s spot, as was the case with the previous two, was directed by Jake Scott, the son of “Thelma and Louise” and “Gladiator” director Ridley Scott. It was filmed in December in Santa Barbara, Calif., and involved eight puppies and seven Clydesdales.
“Jake knows what he’s doing so well that I feel that I’m just standing there,” Jeanes said. “I can be myself and be in the moment.”
Jeanes’ career is working well on other fronts, too. He averages about two commercial shoots per month, including spots for Oracle, Dunkin’ Donuts, Epix and Metro PCS, and recently wrapped up work on “Good Grief,” a film scheduled for release in 2016. Later this year, he will take on the role of Jim in a Hollywood theater’s production of Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie.”
“I really like commercials because of the quick turnaround,” he said.
Jeanes watched the 2013 “Brotherhood” ad with friends at his home in Los Angeles. Last year, during a last-minute trip to Houston to visit an ill relative, he watched “Puppy Love” with his mother and brother.
This year, he plans to have friends over for a party in Los Angeles to watch “Lost Puppy” and root for another Ad Meter championship. As for the game, he’s going with the Patriots over the Seahawks.
“Budweiser has given me a wonderful opportunity, and I’m grateful to them for bringing me back,” he said. “You can’t buy this kind of publicity. Now it’s a matter of using this gift to get more work and to advance my career.”
Jeanes will return to Houston later this year for a promotional appearance at Anheuser-Busch’s Houston brewery. In the meantime, he’ll continue working and preparing for his fourth Super Bowl in 2016, when he hopes his role takes another step along the sequel road paved by “Toy Story,” “The Godfather” and others.
“I’m hoping,” he said. “If Budweiser will have me, I’ll come back every year.”
david.barron@chron.com