The European boss of Budweiser has said the brewer has learned to “stay in our lane” following a backlash over Bud Light’s work with a transgender influencer.
Jason Warner, president of brewery giant AB InBev in Northern Europe, said the company would keep contested political and societal issues separate from its beers after consumers boycotted Bud Light for working with Dylan Mulvaney.
Mr Warner said: “The major learning was, ‘hey, I want to enjoy [Bud Light] when I’m not having to think about all of this, and I want to enjoy it with my friends’.
“‘I want sports, I want music. I want fun. I want friends. I want everyone to be happy together’. Unfortunately, the output of that was the complete opposite, which is not what we’re there to do.”
AB InBev is the world’s biggest brewer and makes beers including Stella, Budweiser, Bud Light, Corona and Becks.
The company suffered a slump in Bud Light sales and its share price last year after its decision to send personalised cans of the low alcohol beer to influencer Ms Mulvaney, marking her one year anniversary of transitioning gender.
The marketing stunt enraged sections of the American Right and prompted calls for a boycott from no less than Donald Trump, though he has since rowed back on his position. The furore led to Bud Light losing its position as the best-selling beer brand in the US.
Mr Warner called it “a very difficult moment” and said the brewer learned to “stay in our lane” as a result.
He added: “There are very few categories in the world where people care that much. I don’t think people would look at mayonnaise that way, or care that much about mayonnaise, but they care about their beer.”
AB InBev’s decision to retreat from what some would characterise as activism comes amid a broader reassessment of the focus on so-called ethical, social and governance (ESG) concerns in boardrooms.
Consumer goods giant Unilever recently watered down and abandoned a pledge on diversity after investors told it to focus more on profits and less on social and environmental issues.
Investors had accused the company of “virtue signalling” by seeking to define a social purpose for all of its brands, including the likes of Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Vaseline.
Mr Warner’s comments come as AB InBev seeks to move on from the Bud Light controversy and rebuild momentum at the Paris Olympics, where alcohol-free Corona Cero will be the first ever beer to sponsor the event.
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2024-05-06 16:53:00Z
CBMiVmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRlbGVncmFwaC5jby51ay9idXNpbmVzcy8yMDI0LzA1LzA2L2J1ZC1saWdodC1zdGF5LWluLWxhbmUtdHJhbnMtYmFja2xhc2gv0gEA
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