Ubiquitous
2023-05-01 19:35:05 UTC
Anheuser-Busch, the brewer of beleaguered Bud Light, got ripped on social
media for a countrified commercial that aired during the opening round of the
NFL draft and featured girls in the rain drinking Bud Light underlined by Zac
Browns song Chicken Fried.
The Americana-embracing commercial comes as the beer brand battles a public
relations nightmare prompted by its endorsement deal with Dylan Mulvaney, a
flamboyant trans influencer who claims to be a woman. Customers have
abandoned Bud Light in droves and the company has put two of the marketing
execs behind the ill-advised idea on ice. The video that aired during the NFL
draft has racked up another 10 million views on YouTube, but comments have
been turned off.
Zach Dean of Outkick called the video pure pandering.
I nearly spit out my Yuengling, he wrote, invoking the name of a smaller
American brewer which has embraced patriotism amid the controversy. You
dont get to just play one of the most American songs of my time, have a
couple cowgirls run around in the rain and assume youve fixed everything.
Dont patronize us. Were not dumb. We may be a little buzzed, but were not
dumb.
Dean was not alone in condemning the ad.
A commercial that shows cowboys & cowgirls at a rodeo where its started to
pour down rain while the Zac Brown Band plays Chicken Fried is Bud Lights
latest commercial, one social media user wrote. Real smart, piss off that
demographic, then cynically try to lure them back with this. Dont fall for
it.
Another user added, Anyone else notice the Bud Light commercials on the NFL
Draft are featuring Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown Band as their background
music. Theyre running as far away from their branding disaster as they can!
A third reacted, @budlight just saw your Chicken Fried commercial. Easy to
drink, Easy to enjoy, and now that you are Woke, Hard to swallow. Trying to
get the Zima and Whine Cooler crowd to drink your Clydesdale piss looks to
have backfired.
Bud Lights sales plummeted 17% and 21% in volume in the week ending April 15
after Mulvaney, a male who identifies as a woman, posted a video to his 1.8
million followers on Instagram promoting his partnership with Bud Light on
April 1.
This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me
possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it, Mulvaney said.
While the transgender craze has exposed another political fault line in the
U.S., some critics of Mulvaney say what they most object to is that his new
persona seems more a parody of women than any genuine attempt at self-
discovery. Mulvaney began the effort over a year ago, and promoted it on
social media by marking periodic milestones of celebrating girlhood with
exuberant squealing about crying, shopping, and other behaviors
stereotypically associated with women. President Joe Biden, a vocal supporter
of chemical and surgical operations for gender dysphoric people including
children. even granted an interview to Mulvaney in October.
But Bud Lights embrace of Mulvaney backfired in a major way, and already
stands as one of the biggest corporate marketing blunders of all time.
These numbers are staggering, according to Insights Express, a beer-focused
newsletter. Right now this is an extremely difficult scenario for Anheuser
Busch, the Bud Light brand and for AB distributors. Sales of Coors Light and
Miller Lite soared 18% in the same period, Insights Express noted, adding,
Coors Light and Miller Lite were once again big beneficiaries.
Roughly 3,000 locations using BeerBoards technology logged 6% less Bud Light
sales from April 2 to April 15 after Mulvaneys video was released, Axios
reported.
--
Let's go Brandon!
media for a countrified commercial that aired during the opening round of the
NFL draft and featured girls in the rain drinking Bud Light underlined by Zac
Browns song Chicken Fried.
The Americana-embracing commercial comes as the beer brand battles a public
relations nightmare prompted by its endorsement deal with Dylan Mulvaney, a
flamboyant trans influencer who claims to be a woman. Customers have
abandoned Bud Light in droves and the company has put two of the marketing
execs behind the ill-advised idea on ice. The video that aired during the NFL
draft has racked up another 10 million views on YouTube, but comments have
been turned off.
Zach Dean of Outkick called the video pure pandering.
I nearly spit out my Yuengling, he wrote, invoking the name of a smaller
American brewer which has embraced patriotism amid the controversy. You
dont get to just play one of the most American songs of my time, have a
couple cowgirls run around in the rain and assume youve fixed everything.
Dont patronize us. Were not dumb. We may be a little buzzed, but were not
dumb.
Dean was not alone in condemning the ad.
A commercial that shows cowboys & cowgirls at a rodeo where its started to
pour down rain while the Zac Brown Band plays Chicken Fried is Bud Lights
latest commercial, one social media user wrote. Real smart, piss off that
demographic, then cynically try to lure them back with this. Dont fall for
it.
Another user added, Anyone else notice the Bud Light commercials on the NFL
Draft are featuring Chicken Fried by the Zac Brown Band as their background
music. Theyre running as far away from their branding disaster as they can!
A third reacted, @budlight just saw your Chicken Fried commercial. Easy to
drink, Easy to enjoy, and now that you are Woke, Hard to swallow. Trying to
get the Zima and Whine Cooler crowd to drink your Clydesdale piss looks to
have backfired.
Bud Lights sales plummeted 17% and 21% in volume in the week ending April 15
after Mulvaney, a male who identifies as a woman, posted a video to his 1.8
million followers on Instagram promoting his partnership with Bud Light on
April 1.
This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me
possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it, Mulvaney said.
While the transgender craze has exposed another political fault line in the
U.S., some critics of Mulvaney say what they most object to is that his new
persona seems more a parody of women than any genuine attempt at self-
discovery. Mulvaney began the effort over a year ago, and promoted it on
social media by marking periodic milestones of celebrating girlhood with
exuberant squealing about crying, shopping, and other behaviors
stereotypically associated with women. President Joe Biden, a vocal supporter
of chemical and surgical operations for gender dysphoric people including
children. even granted an interview to Mulvaney in October.
But Bud Lights embrace of Mulvaney backfired in a major way, and already
stands as one of the biggest corporate marketing blunders of all time.
These numbers are staggering, according to Insights Express, a beer-focused
newsletter. Right now this is an extremely difficult scenario for Anheuser
Busch, the Bud Light brand and for AB distributors. Sales of Coors Light and
Miller Lite soared 18% in the same period, Insights Express noted, adding,
Coors Light and Miller Lite were once again big beneficiaries.
Roughly 3,000 locations using BeerBoards technology logged 6% less Bud Light
sales from April 2 to April 15 after Mulvaneys video was released, Axios
reported.
--
Let's go Brandon!