The embattled and boycotted beer brand aims to draw positive attention with a generous giveaway of NFL merchandise and subscriptions.
Key Details
- Anheuser-Busch’s most recent step in its battle to habilitate Bud Light is a new online giveaway with thousands of potential winners between now and October 16.
- 2,000 people will be given subscriptions to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV, while others will receive e-gift cards for NFLShop.com worth between $35 and $150. All participants will receive a 20% discount.
- Participants merely need to set up an account with the Bud Light website, click a button, and see if they have won, with no purchase requirement.
Why It’s Important
On April 1, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney released a cross-promotional Instagram video with Bud Light. Subsequently, an interview with Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid revealed that she was attempting to shift the brand away from its “fratboy” image toward a new audience of young progressive beer drinkers. Within two weeks, Bud Light’s sales precipitously dropped and have continued to do so.
While there is some early speculation that the boycott is diminishing after five months, Bud Light’s sales have not yet recovered, with the company losing 30% of sales. The business is interested in rehabilitating its public image but is nervous about making an outright apology to the boycott supporters, which would involve apologizing for partnering with a transgender social influencer. In lieu of a formal apology, the company is attempting to make amends through generous gifts to its core demographic.
It remains unclear what the future of Bud Light’s sales and the boycott will amount to in the coming months. Changing the narrative surrounding the brand may help rehabilitate Bud Light, but it may also suffer permanent damage to its brand integrity and never recover its status as America’s most popular beer. According to the company’s second-quarter earnings report, Anheuser-Busch suffered minimal impact from the boycott thanks to its diversified ownership of global beer brands, making up for lost revenues.
