Bud Light just unveiled a new summer advertisement with hopes of regaining customers lost from the controversy surrounding the disastrous Dylan Mulvaney collaboration from early April. Anheuser-Busch indicated it would heavily increase its advertising spending during the summer season, attempting to recover the brand image Bud Light had before the boycott.
The new summer-themed ad features the late 70s hit “Good Times” by Chic and depicts Americans engaging in typical summertime activities. It shows barbecues, hanging out by the lake, and other outdoor activities that average Americans can relate to. Watch the advertisement below, titled, “Crack a cold one: we’ve got an epic summer ahead. Sock tans included”.
Crack a cold one: we've got an epic summer ahead. Sock tans included. pic.twitter.com/CGRCvkHC60
— Bud Light (@budlight) June 22, 2023
While it is evident through this commercial that Bud Light is shifting its marketing strategy to appeal to its pre-Mulvaney customer base, no one seems quick to forgive the brewing company. Twitter users did not hold back in slamming Bud Light in the comments sections of the commercial. When writing this article, every comment directly under the post was a user tweeting something negative about Bud Light.
One user said, “At least your marketing department made a semi-decent commercial and realized that force-feeding t******s down our throats isn’t a winning strategy. However, it’s too late. You all are a casualty of the culture war. Y’all are f****d.” When writing this article, this was the first comment under the advertisement, with several thousand likes.
Another weighed in, instructing Bud Light to “write off” the average consumer from buying its products. “You probably should just write off normal people buying your beer. You’re not getting them back Just make Bud Light the official Q***r Beer from here on out Anything else you do, after what you’ve done, just looks like pathetic pandering. (What’s the word for more pathetic than pathetic?)”
Twitter users also pointed out how Bud Light never officially apologized for slandering its customer base. Former vice president of marketing Alissa Heinerscheid, who has taken a leave of absence since the Mulvaney disaster, insulted Bud Light’s customers, implying they were “fratty” and “out of touch.” She further claimed the brand was in decline because it was not inclusive enough.
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A Twitter user said, “I guessed we missed the apology for insulting your existing, “fratty” customer base. If you all think this gutless, shallow ad moves the needle, you might as well reinstate Alissa Heinerscheid & finish the job of destroying your brand.”
Bud Light’s attempt to win back the favor of customers proved to be a complete failure judging by the response from Twitter users in the comments sections. After loading page after page consisting of hundreds of comments, only two users could be found saying something positive about Bud Light.
The disdain toward the beer is palpable scrolling through the comments, and it is futile for the official Bud Light even to try to hide or delete negative comments given how vast they are. This does not bode well for Bud Light because the brand is still facing intense backlash even after trying to revert to normal advertising.
Note: Featured image is a screenshot from embedded video.