An updated story, a version of which you can also see in tomorrow’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Enjoy.

Many things are changing at Anheuser-Busch these days. New managers from InBev of Belgium are making their wishes known. Free beer is going away at the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld theme parks. Company retirees may have to start paying to meet in the St. Louis brewery’s cafeteria. Suppliers will reportedly have to wait longer to get paid.

But for now, one thing is not changing: The company still plans to be the biggest and arguably the boldest advertiser on the upcoming Super Bowl.

“Why the Super Bowl?” Keith Levy, vice president of marketing, said on a conference call with reporters. “Ninety eight million reasons - 98 million consumers anticipating, ‘What is Anheuser-Busch going to do?’”

The company gave a sneak peak of part of its Super Bowl lineup on Thursday. The commercials were still in various stages of editing, but were eye-catching nonetheless.

One Budweiser commercial shows some healthy competition between a Budweiser Clydesdale and a Dalmatian. A Bud Light spot shows a beer expert changing the topography of a ski resort while opining on the beer’s “drinkability.” Another Budweiser ad shows the connection between a Clydesdale and his circus-horse girlfriend, who is cursed with uncaring masters.

In another spot, late night TV host Conan O’Brien, against his better judgment, takes his agent’s advice and does a commercial. Because, after all, it’s a ton of money, and it will only be seen in Sweden. What could go wrong?

Several other spots, including one each for Budweiser American Ale and Bud Light Lime, are also under consideration. The company would like to build more awareness of Bud Light Lime, a new product that drove A-B’s success this year. One goal now is to keep the momentum going by convincing people that the beer is not just a summer selection.

The company has 4 1/2 minutes of air time, 30 seconds more than last year. It was close to using five minutes, but decided to use a 30-second spot on the Golden Globes instead.

Now, “the science takes over.” Levy said. On Monday, A-B will start an intense round of consumer research to help the company determine which brands would play best in the Super Bowl venue. It will visit with hundreds of viewers and break them out into small groups, testing the nuances of commercials.

After months of work, “you really do need a fresh set of eyes at this stage in the game,” said Bob Lachky, chief creative officer.

The company is planning to air three commercials starring the Budweiser Clydesdales. The spots are not a trilogy per se, but they do represent three distinct human values, said Levy: love, competition, and heritage and tradition.

Anheuser-Busch’s typical approach on the Super Bowl is about branding - reminding people of the underlying values that make its products special, said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. With strong images like the Clydesdales, “you can really make people feel good about the brand.”

With InBev’s takeover still a fresh memory, the company is leaning on the big horses to subtly make the case that the values Anheuser-Busch stood for in the past will remain.

“One of the things people are going to be looking for is, ‘Hey, what are you going to change? What changed as a result of this combination? The Clydesdales really embody everything in our company, as well as its American roots,” Levy said.

Reporters wanted to know: Did the limping economy crimp the brewery’s plans on the Super Bowl? Executives answered: Nope.

“With all the heavy things in life that are weighing down on people, when you think about drinking beer, it’s kind of the lighter side of their life,” said Levy. “It just seems to be the perfect anecdote. … It continues to be a good decision to be heavy and loud in front of the consumers on the Super Bowl.”

Marketers need to be gutsy and creative to play in the Super Bowl, because it’s a big investment - up to $3 million for 30 seconds of air time - and heavily critiqued, said Matt Miller, president and chief executive of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers.

Being in the game sends the message, he said, that “‘We’re in the big league. We have the money to spend, and we’re not afraid to spend it.’”

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Previous post:

Lager Heads got a sneak preview today of a few Anheuser-Busch commercials that will air on the Feb. 1 Super Bowl broadcast. They are in various stages of editing, but are still pretty eye-catching. The brewer is again poised to be the game’s biggest advertiser, with 4 1/2 minutes of air time.

One Budweiser commercial shows some healthy competition between a Budweiser Clydesdale and a Dalmatian. A Bud Light spot shows a beer expert changing the topography of a ski resort while opining on the beer’s “drinkability.” Another Budweiser ad shows the connection between a Clydesdale and his circus-horse girlfriend, who is cursed with uncaring masters.

And the one that almost made us spit up our coffee in a fit of laughter: Conan O’Brien, against his better judgment, takes the advice of his agent and does a commercial. Because, after all, it’s a ton of money, and it will only be seen in Sweden.

Details to follow.