Bud Light lost roughly 30% of its customer base after Kid Rock publicized its marketing effort including transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney.
That doomed initiative, an attempt to broaden Anheuser-Busch’s (BUD) – Get Free Report brand’s consumer base into the LGBTQ+ community, failed on numerous fronts.
First, it enraged a segment of the brand’s loyal audience. It may seem strange for Bud Light drinkers to be upset that the brand used a transgender influencer in a social-media marketing campaign, but that is exactly what happened.
Second, once the reaction began, the corporation did not exactly have Mulvaney’s back. Because of these two factors, Bud Light sales fell, causing the brand to fall behind Modelo as the best-selling beer.
Budweiser has been attempting to do business as usual since the reaction and boycott began. The corporation has continued to post on social media as usual, eliciting as many sarcastic and nasty replies as playful or respectful ones.
It’s a difficult situation for any brand. Bud Light cannot directly apologize since doing so would imply that collaborating with a transgender person was inappropriate. Based on the makeup of the brand’s main demographic, the campaign was a mistake, but a standard apology would be incorrect and would generate a whole new set of problems.
Instead of issuing an apology, Anheuser-Busch is pursuing a different approach. As a sort of de facto “I’m sorry,” the beer company is giving away free merchandise to its customers. It’s as if a spouse who chooses to hang out with friends instead of taking their partner to a lavish meal, buys flowers as a peace gesture. While the giveaway seems generous, it is unclear whether it will be successful.
Bud Light wants to offer you free football merchandise
Due to declining Bud Light sales, Anheuser-Busch has been forced to lay off employees. This forces the corporation to continuously attempt to regain clients, even if one effort fails.
Budweiser has mostly returned to its historical marketing themes, such as Americana, football, and people having a good time.
Now, the corporation has launched a new campaign in which those who provide their email addresses get chances to win free National Football League Sunday Ticket subscriptions or gift cards to the NFL’s store.
“To participate, all you have to do is set up an account on the site, click a button on the site, and see if you’ve won. There is no requirement to buy anything, including Bud Light,” TVAnswerMan.com wrote.
You can enter once every day, and the first entry receives a 20% discount coupon to the NFL store for everyone who wants to play.
Bud Light is working to change the narrative
Budweiser is attempting to modify the narrative surrounding its brand in a variety of ways, and while its efforts are blatant, they appear to be working.
“Deutsche Bank found that former Bud Light drinkers who are ‘very unlikely’ to purchase the beer in three to six months went from 18% to 3%,” Inside Hook reported.
“The rebound is being aided primarily by drinkers older than 25 and people who earn less than $25,000 annually.”
Even many of those who were horrified by the Mulvaney arrangement may not be able to retain their fury permanently. Even Kid Rock, who famously drank Bud Light after the marketing campaign debuted, has been sighted drinking it.
While giving away free NFL merchandise will not earn the brand’s forgiveness, time appears to be reducing the outrage.