"I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple. Were we directed from Washington when to sow, when to reap, we should soon want bread." -- Thomas Jefferson
Just when you thought it was safe to watch beer ads again, another company drops another deuce on the world. This time it comes from Miller Lite, a brand from Molson Coors, yet another multinational company. Between them and InBev, they own the majority of top beer brands in the world. So choose wisely.
Take a look for yourself.
Who Is The Target?
My first question is who were they targeting with this ad? Is this supposed to motivate men to buy beer? Is it, aspirational, hoping to change the thinking of Miller Lite drinkers, altering behavior that has been around for generations? Does the average woman relate more to the sexy models, or the frumpy farmers? Does the spokeswoman command your attention, or is she simply annoying? Is there a pocket of people, men or women, upset that folks don't thank women sufficiently for the creation and development of beer?
The Richness Of The English Language
I find the offensive language unnecessary and annoying. Even though it is censored here, I suspect it may not be in the original, either way its crudeness loses any moral high ground. Women in bikinis are no way similar to feces. Those women worked hard to develop their bodies, and get plenty of sunlight. They went on many auditions, and then made the cut. They were paid for their work, and I promise you, they did work, as "eye candy" and spokeswomen for the brand. Its very mean trashing them now, as many are now enjoying life in their golden years. They did NOTHING wrong!
Do Women Farmers NEED A Handout?
Why is the "fertilizer" given to the farmers? Are they not able to purchase it? Surely there is a cost associated with "recycling advertising" - why do women not have to pay? And there is not an infinite supply of this, so maybe one season for one farm and you're done. Seems like small potatoes. And when done, what has truly been accomplished? Have you added new consumers? Do more women drink your brand? Does ANYONE care?
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Do Beer Companies HATE Their Customers?
So many unforced errors by companies lately. I know its been decades since I studied advertising/marketing in college, but are they teaching some sort of "new" marketing these days? Recommending offending your base to win more customers?
If I own a small HVAC business in Kansas, and I like to go fishing and hunting. And on occasion, enjoy a few cold Miller Lites, what is my reaction to this? I probably react as most people would, "What the heck?" I assume its an attack on me, because you know, I kind of liked seeing those pretty women associated with my brand preference. I am very happy with my wife, but the pretty ladies reminded me of my youth with my wife, and that made me happy. But now, my beer is insinuating that I am some sort of disgusting pervert. And frankly, that does not sit well!
Who Is Ilana Glazer? And Why Is She Lecturing Me?
I just want to enjoy my beer. But instead I've got this annoying New Yorker, who likely has never had a Miller Lite, lecturing me about beer and beer advertising. I've never seen this woman, her voice is annoying, and someone needs to wash her mouth out! Why, Miller Lite, why did you release this Harpy on the world?
Begone from me you Succubus - which is ironic, because Succubi were supposed to be sexy demons, not angry trolls from hell. Hand me the latest SI Swimsuit edition. Maybe that will cleanse my palate.
Yikes! Are We In Bizarro World?
Final Thoughts - Say Goodbye To Miller Time
Fortunately, this is not nearly as bad as what Bud Lite is doing to themselves. But I do expect folks to start rethinking their beer decisions if this continues.
I would take this ad and bury it with the Ark of the Covenant - somewhere it can never be found. Its just really bad. I can't imagine a bunch of marketing experts at Molson Coors watching that hot mess and thinking, wow, that's awesome. I assume the intent was to acknowledge or empower women in some way, and it woefully fails in both. While insulting the thousands of ladies who have represented beer brands in advertising, collateral, and at appearances. They are people who helped build the brand. And this ad just crapped - apologize for the language, all over them. Molson Coors should apologize.
If the intent was to be funny, it completely failed. It was like watching a train wreck, knowing the end was going to be even worse than the start. Educational? Not really. Its likely true women were involved in brewing throughout history, but giving them all the credit - few would believe that.
Think of all that goodwill built over time. Where, "its Miller Time" was a common idiom for going to enjoy some adult beverages, often Miller Lite. Sometimes after a day at work, or a game, or just because you were free, you could enjoy a nice, cold beer. But that is Americans in a nutshell. They just want to be free. Left alone to enjoy life without be constantly lectured. But now even our favorite brands are trying to manipulate us, and frankly, its tiresome.
Marketing is actually pretty simple. Find a community that would use/desire your product/service and give them reasons to buy. Once you establish a solid consumer base, don't mistreat them.
Its worked for quite a long time. And successfully for a whole lot of companies in a variety of industries. Unfortunately, Anheuser-Busch (AB) forgot this simple advice and through a serious of truly bad mistakes, has put their flagship brand, Bud Light, in a death spiral.
A Lesson From History
The year was 1983. Cadillac was a dominate brand in the luxury car market, but GM got greedy. Somebody within the organization thought it would be super cool to create a brand extension of the line that would be priced low enough to capture just a wee bit more share of the market. And fend off some of the new luxury sedans coming from Europe and Japan.
In the comfy surroundings of some executive conference room, that sounded like a great idea. They likely toasted their brilliance with adult beverages - maybe Bud Light. And to maximize profitability, they would use the Chevrolet Cavalier base as their starting point.
Look at that beauty. Isn't it sweet? Imagine, you are a YUPPIE (Young Urban Professional) in the 80s, and you were about to pick a car that would reflect your prosperity, and make you the envy of your peers. You look at Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and then the mighty Cimarron. Which brand likely wins that contest?
In 1983, I had just started working at a brand new Tom Thumb grocery store in Longview, Texas. I started as a package clerk - a lofty name for bag boy. With any new company, the cream rises quickly. My hard work was noticed, and even though I was still in high school, I was promoted to Nighttime Produce Manager. Impressive right? I had total control over the produce section from 6pm to sometimes well after midnight. I had a cray cray abusive boss - but that's another story, for another time. My responsibilities included making sure everything was rotated, watered, and the racks were full and faced - the act of bringing products to the front of the shelf and making sure their labels are facing forward. Of course the whole section had to be clean, floors and all. In back, I wrapped tomatoes and other produce, prepped for the day folk, and then cleaned the back room and cooler. Sometimes, I created mini tornadoes in the massive sink - that was wicked cool, and did valuable research tasting various fruit. And, if that wasn't enough, I also had evening responsibility over the flower department. They all left by 7 pm. If anyone wanted flowers, I was their guy. I knew NOTHING about flowers. But I did my best, and most people seemed to appreciate my feeble efforts. I was quite creative when pricing my personal arrangements. And I think most folks knew what was happening and approved of my ignorance.
On busy weekends, there were moments when I had to help bag groceries. It was something I was quite good at, and enjoyed the face time with the guests. Tom Thumb's slogan at the time was: We Stand Behind Everything We Sell. Something I often jokingly shared with my guests as I carried out their food. Most folks were very nice, sometimes even tipped. A few I knew from church or school. And others were just interesting to chat with for a few moments.
And then one day I carried out a load of groceries for what we now would call a cougar. She was a very successful single lady, probably in her late 40s, but still very striking. She was being flirtations, but in a truly fun way - there was no aggression to it. We reached her car and she asked if I would put them in the back seat. It was a new car, with that awesome new car smell. After each bag, I took a moment to look around inside. It was rather nice, but looked quite familiar, as I had been shopping for a car myself. She was very proud of her new ride and asked me what I thought.
Being young, I still had not mastered the fine art of being tactful. So, I dumbly asked, "Is this a Cavalier?"
Her smile disappeared, replaced by a look of disappointment. Understanding that my question was not meant as an insult, but was simple ignorance, she recovered a bit and said, "No. This is a Cadillac Cimarron!"
This of course changed my approach as well. It really was a nice looking car inside and out. But to me, it truly looked like a Cavalier. We said our goodbyes, and she was on her way.
What Does This Have To Do With Bud Light?
GM did not value their customers, and released a vehicle that truly diminished the brand, and set the company back decades in the luxury market. Not until Cadillac Escalades started appearing in movies and rapper videos, did the brand start to recover from the Cimarron misstep. And it was an unforced error. Nobody thought about their current customers. There are now plenty of luxury brands that are considered before Cadillac, as its considered by many, their grandparents car. They would much rather drive an Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Volvo, Tesla, Infiniti, Lexus, Acura, Aston Martin, or Porsche.
Unless you have been living under a rock, AB, now a multinational brewing conglomerate, and parent of Bud Light, thought it would be super cool to reach out to the tiniest of tiny minorities, the transgender community.
I stopped drinking adult beverages many years ago. But I can tell you exactly what people think about drinking domestic beers. They choose a brand often by which one all their peers agree to drink. This is done primarily for simplicity. You go to a bar, "Three Bud Lights please." That is much easier than ordering a different beverage for each person in your group. Having a party, or going to the lake? Its much easier buying one brand that everyone will drink and be happy. After the first one, most people don't really care. They say they do, but they don't. I evolved through many brands in my youth - Coors Light, Miller Light, Corona, Amstel, and even some harder stuff mixed in. I settled on Miller Light because most of my friends either liked it, or drank it regularly. Bud Light was never really high on my list, although if offered, especially free - you drink! The first was not great, but after that nobody really cares. So if I attended a party that was offering Bud Light, I drank Bud Light.
Bud Light over time built a dominant position among the young, including college students and recent grads. They were also strong among the blue collar folks, of all ages, who work hard and play hard. Bud Light drinkers were very loyal, and ABs marketing was clever and entertaining. So they continued to stay loyal to the brand, often for decades. What else would a brand manager desire?
Her name is Alissa Heinerscheid, and as VP of Bud Light, she came in like a wrecking ball. And in her short tenure, lost their core customers, and wiped out decades of goodwill, just to push a far left agenda. If she is still on the payroll, I would be shocked. If someone purposely wanted to tear down AB, I don't think they could have done more than what Alissa has done. Just listen to what she said in an interview before all hell broke loose. Skip the fluff and go straight to the meat - 22 minute mark through minute 27. And think about what I just wrote - who are the loyal drinkers of Bud Light, and what are their expectations for the brand.
It is clear that she just doesn't like Bud Light drinkers. She is better than they are, and through advertising and INCLUSIVITY she is going to teach them a better way. And, because she is so brilliant, like Moses, she and her team of like-minded minions, will lead all the disadvantaged folks of the world through the flood of beer brands to the promised land, where the only beer is Bud Light. And I am only slightly exaggerating.
Part of a master plan was advertising featuring women as the protagonist, and casting a couple where Alissa asserted the woman wore the pants in the family. Just watch this spot and see if it makes you thirsty for a cold beer.
You've had a hard day at the construction site. Worked from sun up to sun down. And its time for a cold one. Does this motivate you to go grab a cold Bud Light? Or you are planning a weekend barbeque with your friends from college, does this make you want to rush out and buy a case of Bud Light? Of course not.
NOBODY believes this couple drinks Bud Light. Its doubtful beer is a regular choice at all. And if it is, its likely imported, or some custom made beer that doesn't taste as bland as Bud Light. They can afford to buy anything they want - even a brewery. Why would they EVER drink Bud Light! And the folks that might be moved by this spot, are smart enough to figure this out. Regular Bud Light drinkers see this and wonder if perhaps they are drinking the wrong beer.
Bud Light is a Cavalier, NOT a Cimarron.
And you thought there was no connection between the stories. How dare you doubt me!
You can put a Bud Light in the hand of anyone famous and it doesn't change what is inside. Plus, you have decades of marketing and goodwill invested in building the brand image as a beer for young partiers, and working folks of all ages. When you just don't care, there is always Bud Light. AB, feel free to use that tag line. Just send me the royalties when sales skyrocket.
Take a look at another ad approved by Alissa and her team. Imagine you are a twentysomething contractor, who enjoys a few cold ones on the weekend. Does this motivate you to buy more Bud Light?
Honestly, its a cute ad. There is nothing technically wrong with it. But women don't drink Bud Light. Are we supposed to take this as empowering women? Perhaps, as they established clearly in the spot that she could handle beer BETTER than the man with less glasses and on a tray. So should we assume the subtle message is women are generally better? Why would that motivate men to buy more Bud Light? And for women, maybe that helps their confidence, but does it make them change decades of drinking habits and switch to a cheap beer? Maybe if they are in college. But those ladies were likely already drinking Bud Light. Not because they like it, but because that was what they were given - see the paragraph above. People adopt the choices of their friends, mainly for convenience.
Does the spot entice people who consume other brands to change? No. What about people who don't drink adult beverages? Do they suddenly want Bud Light? No. So what in the world was this spot supposed to accomplish, if not to push a narrative? It certainly doesn't build the brand or grow market share.
Bud Light WAS apolitical. It didn't care who you voted for or what issues you supported. It was there when you were sad to cheer you up. And gave you confidence to talk to that pretty girl that smiled at you. People could drink it together and have a laugh at what those idiots in Washington were doing regardless of party affiliation. So why introduce politics into the brand narrative?
The Coups De Grâce - An Annoying Man in Woman-Face
Just when you think the brand couldn't go any lower, Alissa said, "Hold My Beer." A struggling entertainer, trying desperately to get noticed on social media, decided to reimagine his act as a young woman. Nothing much changed except now he put on female clothes and did a really bad parody of women. It was insulting and childish. Years ago when white actors put on blackface, people were united that it was racist and cultural appropriation of the worst kind. What Dylan Mulvaney does on social media, pretending to be a woman, is just as disgusting. It is insulting to women everywhere, and the equivalent of blackface.
I am aware there is a history of men in theater dressing as women, and dressing as drag has been around some time. That doesn't make it any more excusable to mock women. Slavery has been around centuries, that doesn't make it OK. Maybe there is a place in art for cross dressing, but at what point is it art, and when does it become insulting and sexual appropriation? For better or worse, Alissa thought signing this travesty as a spokes parody was a good idea for her brand. Just think about it for a moment. An effeminate male, dressed as and pretending to be a woman, was going to RESONATE with their core customers, and help expand the brand? What were they smoking at AB?
I apologize ahead of time for posting this. But to nail the point, you must see it to believe how bad it truly was. Watch the video with this in mind. Would this ever make you desire Bud Light?
Remember, this is a MAN pretending to be a woman. Notice, he acts like he doesn't know what March Madness is, mocking the intelligence of all women. Yes, there are folks, men and women, who don't follow sports. But this is a caricature of women. This is not imitation. It is not his deep desire to BE a woman. He prefers to PRETEND, because Dylan in woman face is where the payoff is greatest.
I don't really blame Dylan. If companies want to waste thousands hiring him, get all the cash while you can. But guess what, consumers don't HAVE to buy those products. And in the case of Bud Light, that is exactly what is happening.
The Left learned in the 19th century how effective it was to organize into groups to terrorize, agitate, and riot for or against the issues that are important to them. In more recent times they have created hundreds of charities, NGOs, and foundations - often with taxpayer funding, to undermine the Liberty of Americans. Some organizations started as just a man and a fax. Now, many are significant operations that use social media, protests, and letter writing to intimidate politicians and businesses to comply with their demands. For instance, take the Climate Scam. You can't get on social media without seeing multiple tweets a day reporting on how the Earth is one SUV trip away from total collapse. The Left recruits brainwashed kids to do their bidding, thinking they will attract more young people, and be bulletproof - as adults don't want to debate children. So every fringe movement on the far left seems far more powerful than they actually are. They can call upon hundreds of useful idiots to appear for a protest, and even supply opposition players to make the operation more newsworthy, and apparently they pay enough that these ne'er-do-wells continue to participate.
Now consider the transgender movement. In America, it is estimated that about 0.005% to 0.014% of people assigned male at birth (that is, roughly one in 10,000) and 0.002% to 0.003% of people assigned female at birth (that is, two or three in every 100,000) are diagnosable with gender dysphoria. And that is after almost a decade of HEAVY promotion through entertainment and education. The medical community and pharmaceutical companies see a massive revenue source convincing otherwise healthy kids that they need to be surgically mutilated, and placed on drugs to turn them into the person they believe they are. Its madness. But they have already accomplished much, by convincing folks their kids need more than 50 shots from birth to adulthood. It truly is madness. But the two groups have very deep pockets, so along with the usual divide America crowd, they are all in for the destruction of families and American culture, one child at a time.
The rise has been so fast, that many have noted a spiritual dimension to it, linking this to the return of Ishtar, the ancient demon. Ishtar was a sorceress. She was known for her powers to alter people’s affections, passions, thoughts, and, at times, their essence. (Return Of The Gods - Jonathan Cahn 2022 P. 123) Her goal is to blur the lines between the sexes, feminize all that is masculine, and masculinize the feminine, leaving both wanting, and incapable of being the person God made them to be. In fact, it is rebellion against God, which is the same as witchcraft. (1 Samuel 15:23)
The Right is notoriously bad at organizing. There are many reasons for this. Most Conservatives have jobs, run businesses, and are in careers that limit their free time. They are busy with family, church, volunteering, and their free time is precious. Plus, they truly want to be left alone, to simply enjoy life. They like to believe that most Americans share their love of God, America, and Liberty. And frankly, its frustrating when they find out differently.
Many folks have attempted to organize boycotts on the Right. Most fizzle, as there is no real passion for many of them. That is what makes the Bud Light action so interesting. Nobody really organized this. It was totally organic. Folks saw the ads, and the video of Dylan, and then the comments by Alissa. Sure, many commentators on the Right poured fuel on the fire, but they did not call for anything. It just happened. Bars stopped selling both bottles and tap. Convenience stores to giant warehouse stores began reporting that people weren't buying Bud Light and many AB products. At first this was all anecdotal. Then ABs stock dropped like a rock. People made videos of Bud Light being destroyed, poured out, parodied, or rejected. The following was from a Red Sox game. Wouldn't you expect Bud Light to be flowing at a sold out baseball game?
The Left's kneejerk reaction is to call all who choose not to buy AB products, racists, or haters, or transphobes - the usual lazy tripe. But its not about Dylan. Hear me out. Go to any college, hang out with the theater or arts crowd and you will meet dozens of Dylans. People willing to sell their souls, literally do ANYTHING to get noticed. I went to school with several.
So Why Are So Many People Rejecting Bud Light And AB?
1, Americans are tired of having alternative lifestyles forced down their throat. You can't watch TV, or go to a movie, without LGBT characters forced into the narrative, ever pushing the limit of decency on screen. Go to the Internet, same thing. Watch any video streaming or social media and there are new and more aggravating stories every day. And there seems to be an ever increasing amount of videos from the extremists in the trans community threatening to attackChristians and Conservatives for some perceived grievance. And its already happened in Tennessee. Even suggesting that the LGBT lifestyle is sinful, or that God can transform your life, is firmly rejected. Bud Light's endorsement of Dylan indicates that they agree with the trans community, and their aggressive, and increasingly violent, ideology.
2. Sometimes, you just want to drink a beer and forget the politics. But AB took that away by choosing to very publicly side with the extreme left. They betrayed their loyal customers, some have been buying Bud Light for decades. If Bud Light will not be loyal to them, why should they be loyal to Bud Light? Its a good question that deserves an HONEST answer.
3. Most Americans really don't care what you do in your own bedroom. If an adult wants to whack off their willie, and pretend to be a woman, go for it. However, if I knew the guy, I would do my best to ask him to reconsider, as most people regret the surgery later on. As seen here, here, and here. And targeting children is especially evil. Is this really the movement AB wants to align their brand with - folks that are unable to discern their own sex, and want to force their confusion and delusions on others through entertainment and education?
4. The trans community is AGGRESSIVELY targeting children. Most children have doubts about themselves, or question who they are. These are often very temporary emotions. But activists are exploiting this by attempting to convince kids there is something wrong with them. And convince their parents to transition their children. If you want to make Americans angry, attack their kids. And that is exactly what the LGBT community is doing, and been very open about it. There are already too many child predators in society. And yet Bud Light openly embraces a whole community that is targeting kids for nefarious purposes.
5. The average Bud Light customer does not protest and does not attend political rallies. They are rugged individuals who rightly believe the only minority that matters in a free country is the INDIVIDUAL. Bud Light drinkers might be Christians, even nominally, but more likely they live by a basic morality like the Golden Rule. They don't want trouble. They simply want to be left alone. And when its time to relax, they want to drink a beer and not think about all the craziness in the world. Bud Light robbed their customers of this luxury. By jumping in the culture wars, and firmly on the side of people who are actively attempting to transform the country. They have aligned themselves with the same folks who attack all the things that make life fun.
The Left wants to disarm hunters, and leave millions of Americans defenseless as violent crime skyrockets. It must be noted that while they attack guns, they encourage their own to be armed and threaten their "enemies" with violence - a bit ironic. The agitators want to take away folks' toys - their car, truck, boat, or plane that uses gasoline, believing somehow it will reduce the amount of energy released by the Sun. They are shutting down the domestic oil industry and most energy production - how many Bud Light drinkers do you think work in the oil fields, energy, and construction? The Left attacks professional sports, adding politics where it does not belong. And it even gets worse. Men, who can't make it competing against their peers, reimagine themselves as women, and humiliate women in their own sportsand locker rooms. After kids, attacks on women (daughters, sisters, and wives) are the quickest way to piss off the average American and of course, Bud Light drinkers.
What About The Women?
For many years, Budweiser targeted young men, often using young, gorgeous women in their ads and marketing outreach. The Bud Girls, as they were called, often represented the very best that America offered. They had rules defining acceptable behavior and appearance: "A Bud Girl doesn’t smoke, swear, use drugs, or have tattoos, non-ear piercings, or a criminal record."
I suspect every male that ever bought beer, was at one time influenced by an attractive woman. It may have been a TV ad, a poster, a life-size cutout, or a timely visit to your favorite bar by the Bud Girls. Admit it. There is nothing to be ashamed of by this type of behavior. All the brands have used women to promote their products. They do it because it works. But for some reason, Alissa decided to end all that.
Bud Light actually had a pretty solid campaign that coincided with the Game of Thrones' popularity. The series of ads was set in medieval times and revolved around a King and Queen, and their love of Bud Light. The Dilly Dilly campaign - not sure if that was the official name, was not sexist, promoted the brand in a fun way, and worked in a time when shows about knights, kings, castles were quite popular. That has not changed, but maybe it was time to phase out that campaign.
With the change in tone of their advertising, as demonstrated by the videos above, a kinder, more gentle version of Bud Light emerged. The new tag line was equally boring: Easy To Drink - Easy To Enjoy. Sounds like a sparkling water campaign, but what do I know about Woke Beer Marketing. With the campaign set for the Summer, Alissa's team sought an influencer who might give them a bump during the critical Spring season of basketball tournaments, the start of baseball, and of course, Summer. Would it be a famous athlete? Or a sexy actress? Or maybe a Country singer? No, those are far too obvious. They found a man who had previously done very little in life, until finally during the Pandemic, he decided he wanted to pretend to be a woman. For some reason, people watched his absurd videos, and after a few months, he had 1.8 million followers. Who knows where they came from. So Alissa's team thought it would be really great to have him as their new social media influencer.
You might wonder, as I did, if they did any checking to see how many Bud Light drinkers were among his audience. I would be SHOCKED if there were more than 500. And those are the ones who always agree with surveys, whether or not they actually drink Bud Light. So someone at AB, saw Dylan's numbers, maybe even watched his videos, and said, "Hey, this guy might deliver us a few thousand new customers!" Or something like that. I would have promptly asked, are those the type of customers we want? I just don't think you are going to find many beer drinkers following a man pretending to be a woman, no matter how fabulous he might be.
On April Fools Day, 2023, the madness began, with his very first video with Bud Light, and the worst imitation of a woman ever. The video went viral, and the collective response was something like, "Ewww!" Followed by exclamations like, "What the #%$&!" And then Dylan proudly displayed Bud Light cans with his face. That was just too much to take. A few people ranted on social media. But the majority simply took it all in and quietly went about their business. And when the time came to choose what to drink, they chose to abandon the beer brand that had abandoned them.
Maybe this was just a one time situation. A marketing hiccup as we might say. Folks knew something was terribly wrong, but were reluctant to be seen as "attacking" the little confused man. And then the video of Alissa was found and it went viral. It was then obvious that yes, it was planned, and frankly, they didn't give a damn about their regular customers. They should just shut up, and "drink our swill no matter who we pick to promote OUR brand".
Like an approaching thunderstorm on the prairie, if you look, you can clearly see it, and its massive. You can't hear it, or feel it, but know its coming. First, a few anecdotal reports came in of Bud Light no longer moving. Then, there were bars who could no longer sell it, bottles or tap. Other AB brands slowed down too. Each day produced more stories, and then a few videos found their way online. Bud's stock dropped, and although they remained silent for two weeks, it was time to do something. Crisis management is tough. If you move too quickly, you could make things worse. And yet too slow can be equally bad.
As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.
We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.
We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.
There was no apology. In fact, there wasn't even an acknowledgement for what they had done to piss off their customer base. At best, it was an appeal to keep buying so all these people could keep their jobs. At the same time of this release, they put out an ad with a very similar message.
Some time passed, and seemingly nothing changed. People still rejected Bud Light. And then the global leadership spoke in a conference call. Their leader barely acknowledged the recent events in the United States. And why should he? He is the Grand Poobah of a massive multinational megacorporation. The events in April were like him stepping in crap. He can't be bothered to wipe it off. Just find some flunky to clean it up, and then quietly fire him, so nobody knows that you were foolish enough to step in crap.
That was what I took from his remarks. He also believed that like the Covid lockdowns, they would survive. The boycott will pass, and sales will return. He promised plenty of ad spending, and financial incentives for everyone involved in distribution. All is well.
Unfortunately, there may be some truth to his statement. People may soon forget. Buying Bud Light at half the price of Miller Light might move a few cases here and there. Maybe in a year or two, things will slowly return. Or maybe not. I truly think they have mortally wounded the Bud Light brand. Listening to the man and woman "on the street" remarks at various locations, makes me think that Bud Light is forever linked with leftist politics, specifically transgenderism. Its going to be quite difficult to rid themselves of that perception. And they have done NOTHING to date to make me think that they truly understand why people stopped purchasing their product.
Its laughable to think a few more ads, especially like the horsy campaign above, is going to change the attitudes of Bud Light drinkers. AB needs to decide if they are with the Left, or stand with America. They need to acknowledge their mistake - which may be impossible, as this will anger the rainbow coalition. But here's the thing - those aren't Bud Light drinkers, and never will be. Its not HATE to stand up for American values of Faith, Family, Freedom, Fairness, and Friends!
How To Resurrect A Dead Brand
What is the future of Bud Light? Back in college, when we were short of funds and wanted to buy beer, there were a handful of very cheap, generic beer brands. In the short term, that is what Bud Light will likely do. Appealing to those with limited funds is about the only way to get customers. AB is big enough to have a loss leader in the mix - at least temporarily. Will that be enough to overcome the stigma? I don't know. It depends on where the ideology takes us. This is a very aggressive movement. Attacking female sports, replacing women in every thing from Women of the Year Awards, to even influencer engagements! Women are largely asleep to what is happening, yet they are starting to wake up. And the attacks on children through the schools and entertainment is certainly waking up many parents. The Trans movement is a very tiny minority, yet they seem to have unlimited funds and support at the very top of the Democrat party. They are a formidable foe.
The Road To Contrition
Alcoholics Anonymous actually has 12 steps to recovery. For Bud Light the path could be less. It all starts with admitting you have a problem. This involves a close examination of management. Get rid of the arrogant ones who think they are better than the customers. Ideally, find folks who actually drink Bud Light, or at least don't hate the folks who do. The house cleaning may have to be deep and wide, to avoid promoting some elitist lefty back into a position where this happens again.
From the top down, take a strong public position on what values AB supports. The time for generic statements is over. Will you pander to the 3%, who think they can change clothes and become a different sex? Or will you embrace Americans who make this country great. Whose values align the most with AB? If it is truly the extreme Left - because unfortunately, there is no middle ground between them, you will lose the average American. The vast majority of Americans are politically and culturally in the center-right. The "extreme right" is largely a myth, often controlled opposition created by the Left. As an example, KKK, Nazis, BLM, GW fanatics all are creations of the Left. They all share similar goals - big government, high taxes, and use racial differences to create division and strife, and split the population into groups like, victims and oppressors. If that is the horse that AB wants to ride, good luck. You will lose American consumers for good.
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. (Matthew 3:8 NLT)
Consider the Wisdom found in the Living Word. Nobody expects AB to become a Christian organization, or even religious - although the left clearly is a belief system. But the Wisdom is still sound, even for a secular company. Americans need to see their contrition manifest across ALL their marketing efforts. Celebrating REAL FEMALE HEROES would be a nice start!
If AB can't choose the right side of the culture/political wars, they should stay 100% neutral. Even if they think everyone should be gay or trans, don't force that on your customers. It is assumed that most top executives will lean heavily left, and support demonic causes. Its just the way things are. But the minute the company starts promoting bad politicians and evil causes, customers have every right to stop buying their product. No product is powerful enough to force their customers to agree with their ideology. Especially in the adult beverage industry, where there are dozens of options of beer.
Rethink the advertising and the tag line. AB must earn the core back, which means male focused advertising that appeals to the young and blue collar folks - people who literally Make America Great! A "We Messed Up" campaign, where a Bud Light team travels the country, personally apologizing might be the ticket to a recovery over Summer and before the critical football season. Maybe include the Bud Girls - real ones, or even better Ana De Armas trying to rescue the brand from the evil that hijacked it. Slight digression there. The apology tour needs to be fun, but yet sincere. This would coincide with an outreach to the distribution chain who has needlessly suffered because of really bad decisions at the very top. Again - AB feel free to use my ideas. I seek no publicity, but I would accept a generous gratuity for my suggestions.
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