‘The horse has already bolted!’ Budweiser is slammed for back-to-basics patriotic Clydesdale ad released two weeks after Bud Light debacle – following CEO’s lukewarm apology
- The ad reads as a brand reset for the beer company currently embroiled in controversy over a progressive partnership with Dylan Mulvaney
- The ‘American Spirit’ spot features the brand’s iconic Clydesdales galloping across the great American plains and by historic landmarks
- Last week, Anheuser-Busch lost more than $6billion in market cap due to backlash surrounding a partnership with a transgender influencer
Budweiser has released a patriotic new ad featuring its iconic Clydesdale horses just two weeks after Dylan Mulvaney’s Bud Light deal sparked a huge backlash, but the public is not biting the bit.
The one-minute spot was released on social media Friday and features shots of the iconic Clydesdales galloping across the country, in open fields, and past landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial and the New York City skyline.
A deep-voiced narrator says that Budweiser is ‘a story bigger than beer’ as the horses race across the screen.
‘This is the story of the American spirit,’ he says.
The ad for the beer that, like Bud Light, is owned by Anheuser-Busch, was a pivot back to basics for the brand that has historically tended to appeal to blue-collar American workers – it marked a startling difference to Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Mulvaney at the start of April.
However, online, users slammed the ad as a pathetic attempt to right the ship that was permanently sent in the wrong direction with the Mulvaney partnership.
The iconic Clydesdales are shown galloping across iconic American settings
‘My favorite advertisement by a mile was the Clydesdales after 9/11. It was absolute perfection. After your embrace of the trans agenda, glorifying a man looking for his 15 mins of fame by mocking women. I will never buy, drink or serve your beer again,’ wrote one user.
‘Is the horse trans now?’ wrote radio host Dan O’Donnell.
‘Nope, you guys destroyed your own base and market because you had to go woke. I’ll never drink any of your products again,’ wrote Brandon Saario.
‘Lol, hard pivot huh?’ wrote Angela McArdle, the chair of the Libertarian Party.
Commentator Philip Holloway wrote: ‘Don’t look now Anheuser Busch and Budweiser but the Clydesdale has already left the barn. The train has sailed, the ship has left the station.’
In one shot, the ad showcases two people raising an American flag as one places her hand over her heart.
As the flag is raised, the narrator says: ‘Brewed for those who found opportunity in challenge and hope in tomorrow.’
In another shot, the ad shows the downtown NYC skyline, where the Freedom tower now stands instead of the World Trade Center. At that moment, the narrator says the word: ‘Remember.’
Not everyone appreciated the reference. Brandon Morse, the senior editor of Red State responded: ‘I’m not sure a lineup of B-roll footage and some guy throwing middle-America buzzwords at us will win us back, and frankly, bringing 9/11 into this is kind of insulting.’
The Budweiser Clydesdales have been featured in the Budweiser Super Bowl ad for more than 30 years
The targeted ad arrives as Anheuser-Busch continues to navigate the controversy surrounding Bud Light’s partnership.
Bud Light and Budweiser are distinct brands housed under the same parent company. With the new ad, the latter – often called The King of Beers – appears to be stepping in to save the reputation of Bud Light.
In her controversial ad, Mulvaney posted a clip of herself sipping from a one-off, custom Bud Light can with her face on to promote its March Madness competition – and the backlash saw parent company Anheuser-Busch lose $6billion in market cap within six days.
Mulvaney became well known for the ‘days of girlhood’ videos, in which the 26-year-old documented the first year of identifying as a girl.
But the TikTok star, 26, has angered some feminists and conservatives over claims she’s ‘play-acting’ being a ‘girl,’ and co-opting parts of womanhood she finds interesting – without having to deal with the misogyny or prejudice many women face.
Even the Budweiser Clydesdales have not escaped the backlash against the partnership, as a Budweiser distributor in Missouri canceled all scheduled events to showcase the massive horses last week amid safety concerns.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth delivered a lackluster apology on Friday.
‘We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,’ said Whitworth in the statement.
In a statement after the initial blow back, the company tried to calm conservative consumers with a statement.
‘Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points.
‘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.’
Their doubling down only enraged angered customers more.
Onlookers are now criticizing the maneuver as a shameless publicity grab, amid the recent trend of companies going ‘woke’ to better their bottom lines.
Anheuser-Busch defended gifting Dylan Mulvaney her personalized can in a statement: ‘From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale’
In early April, Mulvaney shared a video of herself in a bathtub sipping from a can of Bud Light to announce her new partnership with the brand
The company has been hit with a barrage of complaints, with many customers filming themselves pouring the liquid away
Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light vice president of marketing, previously stoked the flames of the controversy by saying she had a mandate to update the brand’s ‘fratty’ and ‘out-of-touch’ image.
‘I’m a businesswoman. I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was “This brand is in decline, it’s been in a decline for a really long time, and if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand there will be no future for Bud Light,”‘ she said in a video that has been heavily criticized.
‘It’s like we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand,’ she added.
‘What does evolve and elevate mean? It means inclusivity. It means shifting the tone. It means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different.
‘And appeals to women and to men,’ she concluded in an interview from March 30.
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