It’s not often that a company CEO makes a personal plea to customers, particularly those of a brand as established as Bud Light. However, the recent controversies surrounding the beer giant, spearheaded by Anheuser-Busch, have resulted in an unprecedented appeal from the CEO. His plea to the red-state drinkers is simple yet disheartening: “Please drink our beer, we’re going broke.”
This appeal stems from a tumultuous period for Bud Light, which has seen a massive fallout from its customer base due to marketing missteps that some have dubbed a ‘woke’ catastrophe. The most notorious among these was the ill-conceived Dylan Mulvaney campaign, which turned into a PR disaster. The controversy not only led to a large-scale boycott but also resulted in the company throwing out more products than it managed to sell.
In the wake of this disaster, the CEO’s plea is an attempt to reconnect with a demographic the brand seems to have lost touch with – the traditionally conservative red-state drinkers. With his appeal, the CEO hopes to salvage the sinking ship of Bud Light and navigate it towards more stable waters.