Bud Light used to be one of the most iconic beer brands in America. But sales have tanked after a controversial ad campaign featuring transgender activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote March Madness back in April.
Conservatives announced the country have waged a boycott against the brand since then.
In the commercial, Mulvaney showed off Bud Light cans sent by Anheuser-Busch featuring her face and celebrating “365 Days of Girlhood” in which trans influencers detailed their experiences in their first year since transitioning on TikTok.
As noted by Fox News, the beer brand also ran into trouble when an interview with marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid surfaced in which she called the brand consumers “fratty” with “out-of-touch humor.”
“We had this hangover, I mean Bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty, kind of out-of-touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach,” she said of Bud Light’s marketing strategy.
Trying to turn over a new leaf, Bud Light released an ad featuring Kansas City Chiefs championship tight end Travis Kelce. The ad is titled, “Backyard Grunts with Travis Kelce” and clearly aimed at Bud Light’s mostly male consumers.
However, the ad appears to have fallen flat in conservative communities, according to Fox News.
“Man Bud Light is going for the death blow at this point,” one commenter wrote. “This is what they think of their client base, stupid grunting cavemen.”
“Hey look! ‘Fratty’ and ‘out of touch’ is back in style at Bud Light,” another wrote.
“I don’t understand how this appeals to Bud Light’s target market, transgender youth,” a third comment said.
“Budl Light is done for life no matter who or how many Clydesdales they bring in,” one user commented on the latest ad featuring Kelce, in reference to the earlier attempt to quell backlash.
Only time will tell if Bud Light can recover from its slumping sales. Months in, however, and it doesn’t look good for the brand.
[Fox News]