Our offices used to be in the Markley Building, an old hardware store on South Main Street, Greenville, SC. At the time, I used to park in the Bowater parking garage. So, I would park my car, then walk the short path under the Main Street Bridge, up the steps, and just around the corner to our front door.

One morning, it was foggy and chilly. Must have been about this time of year. As I walked toward the bridge, I heard this "clop, clop, clop" sound. It was one of those images that came to me in slow motion. The Budweiser Clydesdales were in town for some event. And they were out for their morning walk. All harnessed up, they came toward me out of the fog, as if they were materializing for the first time in that instant. The unison hoof-beats. The unison breathing. The mist from their nostrils. Like something from a Tolkien novel.

But I digress. So, one of the strongest brand icons ever is the Budweiser Clydesdales. They speak of strength, dependability, timelessness, a simpler era, and some very large hoofs. Here's their Christmas greeting from 1987. Man, those dudes are BIG close up.