Cold beer in hot water: Bud Light controversy over influencer video

AB InBev brand ignited controversy after trans influencer promoted popular light beer

Today's expression: Blow over
Explore more: Lesson #577
June 1, 2023:

Can any one product be for all Americans in an age of polarization? Bud Light is the country's most popular beer brand. But now people from both sides of the cultural divide are protesting the brand. It all started when Bud Light partnered with a trans influencer and congratulated her one year after her transition. Plus, learn the English phrasal verb "blow over."

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From the big cities to the small towns, Americans of all types drink Bud Light, a light beer that claims to be for everyone. But now, that’s being put to the test

Lesson summary

Hi there everyone, I’m Jeff and this is Plain English, where we help you upgrade your English with current events and trending topics. This is lesson 577, so you can find the transcript and the full lesson resources at PlainEnglish.com/577.

Coming up today: National Beer Day in America was April 7, 2023. But executives at America’s biggest brewer had other things on their minds that day. A firestorm of negative media attention was starting to consume Bud Light, the most popular beer in America. Kid Rock, the musician, had just shot a case of Bud Light with a gun, using an expletive to clarify that he hates the brand. What, exactly, went wrong at Bud Light?

In the second half of the lesson, I’ll show you how to use the English phrasal verb “blow over.” And we have a song of the week, selected by JR. Let’s get going.

Bud Light in PR firestorm over trans influencer video

Americans drink a lot of beer. In the last twenty years, craft and artisanal beer has gained market share, as consumers experiment with higher quality and more complex flavors. Liquor and canned cocktails are also gaining in popularity.

But by far, the biggest sellers are the light lagers produced by large brewers. Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Budweiser, Busch Light, Natural Light: these are the brands that fill the coolers at the liquor stores and gas stations; they’re in the kegs at college parties; they’re the best sellers at stadiums, parades and music festivals; and they’re the most common choice at summer barbeques.

Beer brands are known for their branding and commercials. You see them on billboards, on television commercials, and, lately, on social media. Like many brands, brewers are looking to reach consumers where they are, and in ways they want to interact with companies. Increasingly, that is on social media. And in addition to paid advertising, brands partner with influencers to reach younger consumers.

This presents a reputational risk to marketers. A television ad can be carefully scripted, vetted with focus groups, and approved by layers of executives. That ad can run hundreds or even thousands of times and reach millions of people. Obviously not every commercial is a success. But brands can carefully control their message in a small number of high-leverage commercials and campaigns.

Influencer marketing is different. Influencer marketing is effective because it seems authentic. Don’t get me wrong: influencer marketing is not fully authentic. But it does seem that way. And it seems that way because influencers work brand messaging into their own words, into their own personalities, into their own homes and their own lives. This is why influencer marketing is effective.

But for precisely that reason, it’s harder for brands to control the message. And influencers—even the biggest ones—don’t have the same coverage as television. So brands with an influencer strategy have to work with a lot of influencers to get the same exposure as they’d get with a single commercial.

This magnifies the risk to the brand’s reputation. Because there are more influencer deals, not every deal can get the same amount of internal scrutiny as a television commercial can. If not every partnership can get the same scrutiny as a commercial, then influencer marketing can more easily get off message.

AB InBev, which owns Bud Light, partnered with a transgender TikTok star called Dylan Mulvaney. She started her TikTok channel last year to document her gender transition. She recently celebrated her first full year as a woman. Bud Light sent her a can with her face on it. And they partnered with her on a promotion.

There’s a university basketball tournament every spring called March Madness. Dylan Mulvaney made a funny video in which she learns that “March Madness” is a sporting event, and not just the name for the crazy month of March. The video was cute, endearing, and positive.

AB InBev executives were trying to reach new consumers and continue to tap into the massive $1 trillion buying power of LGBTQ consumers in America. They wanted to improve the brand’s image so that it’s not as associated with binge drinking and college parties. They wanted Bud Light to be seen as an inclusive brand, as a brand for everyone. This seemed like a good way to do that.

To put it mildly, not all Bud Light drinkers saw it that way. Transgender visibility and rights are currently the center of a cultural rift in America. On the right, many believe that they’re being forced to accept a redefinition of gender that they don’t agree with. States are passing laws to curtail drag shows and limit the discussion of sexuality in schools. On the left, many believe that the rights of trans people are being denied.

And with the Dylan Mulvaney partnership, the most popular beer brand in America stepped right into one of the hottest cultural controversies of the day.

Right-wing consumers, especially in the heartland, stopped buying Bud Light and AB InBev products. They said they didn’t want their beer brand to tell them what it means to be a man or a woman. Kid Rock shot up the cans of Bud Light; in case there was any doubt about what he thought, he raised his middle finger to the camera. Travis Tritt, a country musician, said Bud Light wouldn’t be sold on his tours.

Consumers started shifting away from Bud Light. Bar owners stopped serving Bud Light in their bars; some did it on principle, others did it because it was simply not selling. Beer distributors—who don’t even work for AB InBev—were being verbally abused as they drove around in trucks with Budweiser logos.

AB InBev issued a tepid non-apology. In the statement, they didn’t mention the campaign directly, but said they recognize their commitment to be the beer for all Americans. Right-wing critics said the apology didn’t go far enough; the New York Post, a right-wing newspaper, called the apology “flatter than a day-old Bud Light.”

But the LGBTQ community saw it differently. They thought AB InBev had abandoned them. Many appreciated the original promotion with Dylan Mulvaney. And they were looking for a brand to stand up for them, to stick by them when the going got tough, to defend them against unfair attacks. Instead, they said, AB InBev cut and run. So now it seems like everyone hates Bud Light.

Sales of the brand in April were down over 20 percent, while rivals Miller Lite and Coors Light got a nice bump. AB InBev suspended two marketing executives over the controversy and said it would re-orient its marketing toward sports and music, using the tagline “easy to drink, easy to enjoy.”

This will probably blow over. Recent history of brand controversy and boycotts suggests that this won’t last. People get all worked up for a month or two, and then they quietly slip back into their old habits. For all the people who stop buying a product because of politics, another group will start buying that product.

Besides, it’s hard to avoid all AB InBev products; they have over 100 beer brands. One Republican Congressman proudly took a picture of the inside of his fridge, proving to his right-wing constituents that he had shifted away from Bud Light. Just one problem: his fridge was stocked with Karbach, a Texas brewery that’s owned by the same company as Bud Light.

Last chance: ChatGPT challenge

This just makes you wonder if, in the age of cultural polarization, if any brand can be for all Americans. I bet the people at McDonald’s and Starbucks and Coca-Cola are taking careful notes.

Time is running out to join the Plain English ChatGPT Challenge. It starts on Monday, June 5; that’s just a few days from now, from when this lesson comes out. You won’t be able to join after June 5. That’s because this is a challenge that we’re all going to be doing at the same time.

We’re all going to be working through the activities together—that includes me and JR. And we’re going to have a lot of fun together, starting on Monday, June 5.

So to make sure you’re included in the fun, visit PlainEnglish.com/GPT and sign up. You’ll get some introductory e-mails and then all the activities will start on June 5. PlainEnglish.com/GPT.

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Expression: Blow over