When an iconic American beer brand swaps tradition for ‘wokeness,’ even its staunchest allies turn critics, sparking a cultural uproar with reverberating consequences.
Bud Light stands accused of discarding its time-honored image and alienating its traditional customer base. This criticism comes from none other than the architect of their most memorable marketing campaigns, who finds the company’s latest partnership with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney to be a step too far.
With the unveiling of Mulvaney’s face on Bud Light cans, a significant blow was dealt to the company’s image. According to Robert Lachky, the man behind the Budweiser’s highly successful ‘Talking Frogs’ and ‘Whassup?’ campaigns, the iconic brand he spent decades nurturing into America’s preferred beer choice now lies in ruins. He laments that the two-decade-long effort to crown Bud Light as the nation’s top beer was undermined in just a week by InBev, Budweiser’s Belgian parent company.
In the wake of this ill-conceived marketing decision, Bud Light sales are reported to be in freefall. Across conservative America, particularly in states like Texas and Missouri, the brand’s popularity is waning at an alarming rate, with sales dropping by as much as a quarter.
Despite the controversy, a Bud Light spokesperson defended the company’s decision, citing their collaborations with influencers across different demographics as an ‘authentic’ means of audience connection. The company stated that the controversial can featuring Mulvaney was a ‘personal milestone’ commemorative gift, not for public sale.
Lachky, a global icon in marketing circles for his celebrated work with Budweiser during the ’90s and 2000s, created some of the most memorable advertisements of that era. His advertising genius went beyond the popular Talking Frogs and Whassup? commercials, as he also crafted the ‘I Love You Man’ and ‘Real Men of Genius’ campaigns.
The decision to feature Mulvaney’s face on Bud Light cans has left other industry experts in disbelief. Andrew Gilman, founder and CEO of crisis communication consulting group CommCore, acknowledged the significant blow to the company’s stock price and sales. Gilman, however, was more concerned about potential threats to the company’s employees, urging caution in marketing decisions that could potentially lead to such outcomes.
Lachky’s departure from Anheuser-Busch in 2009 coincided with the company’s acquisition by InBev. Although the new European owners initiated widespread layoffs, Lachky asserts that he left the company of his own accord. He pinpoints a ‘complete lack of corporate oversight’ since InBev’s takeover as the root of Budweiser’s recent missteps, describing the controversy as a self-inflicted wound.
Source: AWM
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