TheQuartering [4/17/2023]
Budweiser’s new pro-America advertisement featuring its iconic Clydesdale horses has been ripped by critics who argue it reeks of desperation in the wake of the Bud Light controversy — insisting it’s too little, too late for the beer maker.
The patriotic ad, released on social media on Friday, features a Budweiser Clydesdale running across the American heartland as the narrator declares: “This is the story of the American spirit.”
The timing of the commercial’s release was quickly slammed on social media as Budweiser’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, continues to grapple with the backlash over Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“Don’t look now @AnheuserBusch @budweiserusa but the Clydesdale has already left the barn. The train has sailed, the ship has left the station,” attorney Philip Holloway tweeted.
“Far too late for this pandering now,” sports announcer Mike Perleberg added. “I’ve drawn my line in the sand against ridiculous wokeism and it is to consciously never buy or support an @AnheuserBusch product ever again and share that disdain among people I see consuming their products.”
An Army vet, who tweets under the handle Old School Ethos, claimed the company was just “trying to save itself from their poor decisions.”
“This commercial would have increased their sales prior to bringing Woke into beer because it targets their true customers. Hard working blue collar patriots,” he wrote.
The saga embroiling Anheuser-Busch erupted earlier this month when Mulvaney, who boasts more than 10 million followers on TikTok and Instagram, revealed she had a new sponsorship deal with Bud Light.
The influencer posted a video showing off a specialized beer can the company had sent with her face on it to commemorate one year since her gender transition.
It quickly led to calls for a boycott of the nation’s largest beer company as conservatives claimed the partnership tarnished the iconic brand. The $132 billion beer company has also seen its market value plummet by some $5 billion since the campaign launched April 1.
Anheuser-Busch’s top executive, Brendan Whitworth, broke his silence Friday, saying in a flat statement: “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.”
“We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” he said.
His so-called apology came the same day Budweiser’s ad surfaced on social media.
“Budweiser release pro-American ad 2 weeks after Dylan Mulvaney backlash. The new advert, comes after Anheuser-Busch CEO released a statement which failed to apologize for the backlash and instead talked about traditional values and being pro-America,” Oli London tweeted.