It’s not often that a beer commercial triggers tears, but this year’s Budweiser Clydesdale ad may have viewers reaching for the nearest box of tissue.

It’s about a man who nurtures a Clydesdale foal. The pair form a bond stronger than steel, but the horse grows up and the trainer has to let go. All the while Stevie Nicks croons “I’ve been afraid of changes, ’cause I’ve built my life around you.” The commercial culminates in a reunion that could soften the hardest of hearts.

Clydesdale horses have long been part of the Budweiser brand—80 years, in fact—and ads featuring the iconic animals have been aired during the Super Bowl since 1986. The beer producer’s 2013 creation, “Brotherhood,” chronicles the tender relationship between horse and trainer. It took top honors in the 2013 USA TODAY Ad Meter that assessed commercials during the NFL championship game in February, and had nearly 12 million views on YouTube in just two months.

As senior director of brand communication at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, University of Iowa graduate Lisa Weser was charged with creating a media blitz around Budweiser’s Super Bowl spot. From providing feedback on the ad agency’s early concepts to attending the commercial shoot with director Jake Scott, she and her team did their part to make sure the ad was a winner.

“There was some concern initially that the ad could be seen as too old-fashioned—Budweiser has been around for more than 100 years, and keeping the product relevant is a priority—but what makes ‘Brotherhood’ work is that it’s universal. Everyone has a coming-of-age story, whether it involves a child, an animal, or a job.”

Another key to the commercial’s appeal, Weser explains, is the music. The team never considered using a song other than Fleetwood Mac’s hit “Landslide,” and began production with hopes that singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks would agree to it.

“I don’t think it was difficult to convince her once she saw the finished ad,” she says. “That song makes my mom cry, it makes me cry. It was perfect.”

Not all of Weser’s work is focused on Super Bowl–scale ads (though she did attend the Grammy Awards ceremony this year for the rollout of Justin Timberlake’s Bud Light Platinum ad). Day-to-day duties range from fielding calls from reporters to formulating PR strategies for Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob ULTRA, as well as specialty beers such as Beck’s, Stella Artois, Goose Island, and Shock Top. She supervises three brand managers and a large agency staff.

To inform her work in brand communications, Weser spends time on various social media outlets, keeping close tabs on peers in the beverage industry (“I love following Red Bull—they really go out on a limb,” she says, noting the company's sponsorship of the highest sky-dive on record).

“Our goal at Anheuser-Busch is to penetrate peoples’ news feeds,” she says. “There are so many ways to reach consumers now, so we have to look at the mix of media and determine which ones work best for each brand.”

For example, when Budweiser set up a Twitter account in January (before then, the lack of age verification on the site had been a barrier for the beer producer), Weser and her team devised a publicity campaign that solicited from followers ideas for naming the baby Clydesdale that was featured in “Brotherhood” (the foal was just one week old during filming and eventually took the name Hope). The push drew more than 60,000 submissions.

“Although the Twitter campaign was really basic,” she explains, “it illustrates what’s most important: content that resonates.”

The Marshalltown, Iowa, native acknowledges that working for Anheuser-Busch has perks—she receives two free cases of beer each month, one of which goes directly to her dad (“he paid my college tuition”)—but notes she originally had planned on becoming an attorney. A professor at Iowa encouraged her instead to pursue an advanced degree in communications. So, after earning a bachelor’s degree in English and communication studies in 1997, Weser enrolled in a master’s program at Miami University. She later worked for global PR agency Fleishman-Hillard, where her clients included AT&T and Panera Bread.

Weser, who is married and has three sons, says she was thrilled when she was recruited by Anheuser-Busch in 2012.

“Budweiser is such an iconic brand. We may be the world’s largest brewer, but I think people would be surprised to know how much quality and care goes into the beer,” she says. “Sometimes my job feels like a roller coaster—celebrating the good press and dealing with the bad press—but I thrive on a little bit of stress and even enjoy it.”