How Bud Light blew it

But senior executives said they were caught off-guard by the Mulvaney promotion and the personalized beer can. AB InBev’s leaders were uncomfortable with a marketing initiative that thrust one of its biggest brands into the middle of a divisive political issue, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The company’s response made matters worse. Anheuser-Busch stayed mostly silent for two weeks, then released a general statement about bringing people together, prompting criticism from all sides for both waiting too long to respond and also not taking a clear stand. …

The result angered pretty much everyone: core Bud Light consumers, supporters and opponents of transgender rights, wholesalers, retailers, bar owners and company staff.

[And they still haven’t apologized, not for the Mulvaney can nor for the far more egregious insult from Heinerscheid to the brand’s loyal consumer base. All it would have taken was a substantive “We’re sorry” to defuse the situation, and yet to this day, Anheuser-Busch refuses to offer one. — Ed]

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