Possibly. But I don't think this is an example of that.Originally Posted by Teh One Who Knocks
They probably just peaked too late.
Possibly. But I don't think this is an example of that.
They probably just peaked too late.
By Ryan Saavedra - The Daily Wire
A leftist pro-LGBT organization is trying to pressure Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Bud Light, to come out publicly and announce its support for controversial transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The Hill reported that the Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to Anheuser-Busch last week that criticized the company’s response to the significant backlash that it has faced across the country over its paid marketing engagement with Mulvaney.
“In this moment, it is absolutely critical for Anheuser-Busch to stand in solidarity with Dylan and the trans community,” the letter states. “However, when faced with anti-LGBTQ+ and transphobic criticism, Anheuser-Busch’s actions demonstrate a profound lack of fortitude in upholding its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion to employees, customers, shareholders and the LGBTQ+ community.”
“This not only lends credence to hate-filled rhetoric, it exposes Anheuser-Busch to long-term business impacts with employees and customers increasingly looking for steadfast commitment to LGBTQ+ corporate citizenships,” the letter said.
The organization is preparing to punish Anheuser-Busch by lowering its “long-standing 100 percent Corporate Equality Index score” because of how it has responded to the controversy, the report said.
The letter said that the Human Rights Campaign wants the company to release a statement “reaffirming its full support for its transgender customers, shareholders, and employees.”
The company has declined meeting with the organization, the report said.
The controversy surrounding Anheuser-Busch was worsened after CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement on April 14 that did not make mention of Mulvaney, transgenderism — or offer an apology to offended customers.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth said in the statement. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
BeerBoard, a tech company that provides data to the beverage industry, said this week that Bud Light has seen a significant decline in pours at restaurants and bars across the U.S. following the controversy.
The company has since placed two of its executives on leave, including Daniel Blake, who is in charge of marketing for Anheuser-Busch’s mainstream brands, and Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid.
The organization is preparing to punish Anheuser-Busch by lowering its “long-standing 100 percent Corporate Equality Index score” because of how it has responded to the controversy, the report said.
If you pay close attention, this guy throws some zingers in there.
Warning: The posts of this forum member may contain trigger language which may be considered offensive to some.
Music was better when ugly people were allowed to make it.
He's dry but funny
DemonGeminiX (05-02-2023)
By Ariel Zilber - New York Post
Bud Light announced its partnership with Mulvaney, a social
media influencer with an online following of more than 10
million people.
A staggering sales hit for Bud Light is worsening with each passing week following an ill-fated marketing tie-up with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney — with the latest weekly figures showing a 21% drop.
During the week ended April 22 — the most recent industry data available — Bud Light sales plunged 21%, accelerating from a 17% slide a week earlier and an initial weekly drop of 6% when the controversy kicked off during the first week of April, according to Nielsen IQ and Bump Williams Consulting.
Meanwhile, beer volumes — the number of cases sold, whether in packs of 12, 18 or 24 cans — dropped an even steeper 26% last week, versus a 21% drop a week earlier and an initial drop of 11%, according to the data.
That’s an indication that Bud Light’s core customers — who typically buy their beer in bulk — are ditching the brand, beverage expert Bump Williams said in a Tuesday interview.
“Larger packages of Bud Light are not being purchased — the 30-pack suitcases, the 20-packs, the 18-packs, the 12-packs — they’re all being impacted,” Williams told The Post. “It’s going to be very, very hard to reverse the decline.”
Bud Light remains the bestselling beer in the US, with sales last year topping $4.8 billion. By comparison, the No. 2 brand, Modelo Especial, sold $3.75 billion while Michelob Ultra generated $3.3 billion in sales, according to Williams’ Connecticut-based research firm.
Nevertheless, the precipitous sales drops of the past few weeks have left its sales year to date down a painful 8%, threatening Bud Light’s leading position, the latest sales data show. Unless parent Anheuser-Busch turns things around, “then Bud Light is in serious trouble this year,” according to Williams.
“I think it runs the risk of losing that No. 1 position at the end of calendar year 2023 to Modelo Especial,” Williams said.
The Post has sought comment from Anheuser-Busch.
Earlier this month, Mulvaney began posting images and videos of herself on social media pitching Bud Light — prompting anger and calls for a boycott.
Bud Light sales fell by 26% for the week ending on April 22.
The controversy also prompted Bud Light to place two marketing executives — Alissa Heinerscheid, the vice president of marketing, and her boss, Daniel Blake — on leave.
Williams said Heinerscheid, who was hired to lead marketing for Bud Light last year amid slumping sales, tried to tap into the progressive youth demographic.
“Her big miss was I don’t think she understood who the core Bud Light shopper was,” Williams said.
“When she came out with her comments, they were deemed as being derogatory, insulting and juvenile,” Williams said. “And the Bud Light drinkers said, ‘Enough of that.’”
The company has been trying to win back the hearts and minds of those who were upset by the Mulvaney campaign.
Over the weekend, Bud Light released a “countrified” YouTube ad showing young beer drinkers frolicking in the rain at a country music festival.
The ad, which premiered during the live airing of the NFL Draft last week on ABC and ESPN, shows the youngsters cracking open a can of beer as a hit song by the Zac Brown Band is heard playing in the background.
But critics accused the company of pandering in an attempt to regain consumer trust.
Mulvaney’s brand deals with Nike, Maybelline and Kate Spade have also triggered backlash.
Women’s magazine Allure recently put Mulvaney on its annual “A-list,” prompting calls for a boycott.
Bud light
FOX Business
Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris addressed the Bud Light controversy on an earnings call with investors Thursday, downplaying the brand's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that prompted a boycott from conservatives.
Doukeris told investors there is "misinformation" spreading on social media about the company's team-up with Mulvaney.
"We need to clarify the facts that this was one camp, one influencer, one post and not a campaign," Doukeris said.
The CEO said Anheuser-Busch is "providing direct financial support" to the frontline workers impacted by the boycott, naming delivery drivers, sales representatives, wholesalers, bar owners and servers. Doukeris said the brewing giant will triple media spending on advertising for Bud Light over the summer, confirming reports that the company is planning a major marketing push to recover its brand.
Bud Light remains embroiled in controversy after the brand sent Mulvaney a personalized pack of beer with the influencer's likeness as part of an ad for the company's March Madness contest and to celebrate a year since Mulvaney began identifying as a woman.
After the partnership went viral, Anheuser-Busch lost some $5 billion in market value amid calls for a nationwide boycott, and bars and distributors across the country reported significant drops in Bud Light sales.
The backlash led the brand to shake up its marketing team, and Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth published a lengthy statement hoping to tamp down the animosity aimed at Bud Light and its parent company.
Doukeris said it was too early to tell how the boycott affected Bud Light sales but was bullish that Anheuser-Busch will quickly recover from any setback. He reminded investors that the company has navigated global challenges including temporary bans on beer sales in certain countries and shutdowns of bars and restaurants across the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We believe we have the experience, the resources and the partners to manage this. And our four-year growth outlook is unchanged," Doukeris said.
"We want to reiterate our support for our wholesaler partners and everyone who brings our great beers to the market. I can tell you that we have the agility, resources and people to support the U.S. team and move forward," he added.
"We will continue to learn, meet the moment in time, all be stronger and we work tirelessly to do what we do best: Bring people together over a beer and creating a future of more cheers."
I suspect they won't be doing that again in a hurry
Despite Packed Red Sox Game, Here's What's Happening at Bud Light Stands in Fenway Park
By Richard Moorhead - The Western Journal
Fans at one of baseball’s iconic stadiums appear to be opting out of Bud Light following its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
A concessions stand stacked with Bud Light beers was wholly ignored by fans seeking fare elsewhere at Boston’s Fenway Park in a video published Wednesday on social media.
The video was filmed during a four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox this week.
Fans were lined up at a neighboring stand, leaving the Bud Light-stacked stand empty.
The brand has concessions rights at 15 different venues within Fenway Park, according to a Red Sox guide.
Luis Tejada, who identifies himself as a Boston real estate agent, pointed out what was happening in the since-viral video shared on YouTube and TikTok.
“Crickets at Bud Light stands in Fenway Park,” Tejada titled the YouTube video.
“Fenway Park Bud light stand Ghost Town!” he captioned the TikTok clip.
“That is so funny and bizarre,” the video’s author expressed in a signature Boston accent.
“Look at that. … That is every single Bud Light stand here at Fenway Park in Boston,” he said, pointing to a concession with no customers.
“They’re in trouble,” Tejada said. “I mean, I guess marketing has some questions to answer.”
At least one Twitter user who saw the clip speculated that baseball’s conservative-leaning fan base might be more inclined to opt out of transgender-linked beer.
Another fan noticed that the peculiar scene took place at a ballpark in Boston — a reliably blue city in a Democratic state.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bud Light’s parent company, has brought about an impromptu boycott of its products through its partnership with Mulvaney in March.
The company has all but admitted that the backlash has significantly impacted its business.
It reportedly offered free cases of beer to smaller distributors irked that the beer giant jeopardized its consumer relationships to promote the TikTok star.
Sales of Bud Light declined by 21 percent during the week of April 22 — while sales of its light beer competitors increased accordingly.
Anheuser-Busch’s corporate management has sought to downplay its partnership with Mulvaney to irked investors, dismissing an arrangement that saw Mulvaney’s face put on a can of Bud Light to celebrate the transgender activist’s “day 365 of womanhood.”
DemonGeminiX (05-05-2023)
It looks like the Right has got the hang of cancel culture
Bud Light sales down 23.6% in first week of May as backlash continues into fifth week amid Mulvaney fallout
By Yael Halon | Fox News
Bud Light continued to see a decline in sales during the month of May as consumers nationwide revolt against the nation's top-selling beer brand over its controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
This is Bud Light's fifth straight week of plunging sales since Mulvaney first announced a collaboration with the brand, reigniting concern among distributors over whether the beer maker can successfully heal from the branding nightmare.
Compared to a year ago, retail sales of Bud Light in the U.S. were down by 23.6% in the week ending on May 6, surpassing the 23.3% decline the brand saw in the last week of April, according to data from Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ, cited by the New York Post.
Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light's parent company, also saw significant declines in year over year sales of its other products, though at a slower rate than in previous weeks. Budweiser sales were down 9.7% compared to 11.4% a week earlier; Michelob Ultra dropped 2.9% versus 4.3%; and Natural Light was down 2.5% compared to a 5.2% decline in sales the week prior, the Post reported.
The latest numbers come after a report released by Beer Business Daily found that the beer company faced net losses for four weeks in April leading up to April 29. This followed initial reports that showed Bud Light in-store sales dropped 26% in the week of April 22.
Data from Connecticut-based Bump Williams Consulting also showed that total sales for Bud Light fell by 8% for the year so far, costing the company approximately $5 billion in losses.
The sharp drop in sales prompted HSBC to downgrade Anheuser-Busch InBev stock to hold in early May, citing a "crisis" following the brand's controversial marketing campaign that sparked intense backlash after videos emerged of Mulvaney showing a can of Bud Light featuring the activist's face in celebration of Mulvaney’s "year of girlhood." The promotion quickly led to calls for boycotts, particularly among conservative commentators.
In the meantime, the company has since attempted to make amends with its customers. Bud Light marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid and Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch’s mainstream brands, both took a leave of absence after the backlash, particularly after Heinerscheid was caught in an interview blasting the brand as "fratty" with "out of touch humor." A new country-based ad aired during the NFL Draft on April 27 as part of a new campaign.
The company has also attempted to contextualize the Mulvaney videos, explaining that a "third-party ad agency" was responsible for the collaboration with no intention to sell the can. Anheuser-Busch stated that the marketing firm has since been fired, though it declined to name the company.
Anheuser-Busch also originally put out a statement to Fox News Digital regarding the can.
"Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics. From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public," an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
I shorted BUD last week, I'm up 168% as of today.
lost in melb. (05-17-2023)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
