Budweiser's Super Bowl immigration ad sparks boycott calls

Budweiser has sparked controversy and calls for a boycott with a Super Bowl ad that featured a politically charged immigration theme.

The cinematic 60-second Born The Hard Way spot captured the pre-game buzz by chronicling co-founder Adolphus Busch's journey from Germany to St Louis in 1857.

The man jumps off a burning steamboat and is told "You don't look like you're from around here" and "Go back home" before catching a glimpse of Budweiser's iconic Clydesdales mascots and meeting fellow immigrant Eberhard Anheuser.

The theme touched a raw nerve amid President Donald Trump's tough stance on immigration and his order to temporarily ban immigrants from seven countries that are majority Muslim.

The beer company billed the ad as the "the story of our founder and his pursuit of the American Dream" and it was one of the most watched spots ahead of the game.

But some objected to the immigration theme on Twitter and called for a boycott.

Budweiser's spot was not the only one to stir up controversy.

An ad by 84 Lumber also drew huge attention - so much so that the company's website briefly crashed - as it appeared to take aim at Mr Trump's pledge to build a wall alongside the US-Mexican border.

The hardware company said its original ad showed "a wall" and was rejected by Fox, the Super Bowl broadcaster this year, for being too controversial.

The ad that did air during the game showed a mother and daughter travelling through Mexico, then directed viewers to go online to see the conclusion of their story.

The video posted online runs a little under six minutes and shows the pair eventually coming upon a towering wall and appearing defeated - until they find a gate and cross into the other side.

"The will to succeed is always welcome here," a voice says.

This year advertisers have faced a delicate balancing act amid a divisive political climate.

Paying $5m (£4m) for 30 seconds to capture more than 110 million expected viewers, advertisers have had to walk the line with ads that appealed to everyone while avoiding offence.

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Airbnb's ad was one of the more overtly political, showing a variety of different faces with the tagline "We accept".

A debut Super Bowl spot by the It's A 10 hair care brand introduced its line of men products by joking about Mr Trump's famous hair.

"America, we're in for four years of awful hair, so it's up to you to do your part by making up for it with great hair," a voiceover said.

Ads with light humour and celebrities were popular.

Honda's ad animated the yearbook photos of celebrities including Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Jimmy Kimmel and Robert Redford.

Snickers got plenty of press by airing a live ad in the third quarter.

On a Wild West set, Adam Driver - the actor best known for Girls and Star Wars: The Force Awakens - seems to not know the ad is live.

The set falls apart (on purpose). "You ruin live Super Bowl commercials when you're hungry," the ad's tagline reads.