With Bud Light sales continuing to slide since the infamous partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s global chief marketing officer Marcel Marcondes admitted the controversy has been a “wake-up call” for the company.
“It’s tough to see the controversial and divisive debates that have been happening in the U.S. in the last couple of weeks involving lots of brands and companies, including and especially Bud Light,” Marcondes said Monday at the Cannes Lions Festival, according to AdAge. “It’s tough exactly because what we do is all about bringing people together…Companies and brands must be driven by their values. We are a beer company. Beer is for everyone.”
Marcondes said the incident has been eye-opening to be “very humble” about understanding consumers.
“In times like this, when things get divisive and controversial so easily, I think it’s an important wake-up call to all of us marketers first of all to be very humble,” he continued. “That’s what we’re doing, being very humble, and really reminding ourselves of what we should do best every day, which is to really understand our consumers. Which is to really celebrate and appreciate every consumer that loves our brands—but in a way that can make them be together, not apart.”
He went on to emphasize Bud Light’s tagline and said it’s the approach the company will take going forward.
“That’s what Bud Light stands for—it exists to make beer easy to drink and easy to enjoy. That’s what we all, as a team, will be doing moving forward as a group. That’s what leaders do. Bud Light is coming back. It’s going all around the country, reconnecting with consumers, moving forward. That’s what you can expect from Bud Light in the U.S.”
Despite the admission, there has been no apology from the company over the partnership, meaning its customer base will likely continue boycotting for the foreseeable future.
To make up for lost ground, AB InBev’s CEO Michel Doukeris said the company is tripling its budget for Bud Light in the US this summer—news that comes as Bud Light was dethroned as America's top-selling beer for the first time in more than two decades.