Anheuser Busch InBev executive Marcel Marcondes praised the company's marketing decisions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Monday, despite the negative effect one such decision had on Bud Light.
The beer brand faced strong backlash in April when it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The partnership outraged conservatives, and the company also infuriated more people after it neither apologized nor doubled down in its support for LGBTQ+ people. The boycott caused a drop in Bud Light's stock—although prices began to recover in the week ending June 16—and has wholesalers struggling to sell the beer.
However, Marcondes, the global chief marketing officer of Bud Light parent company Anheuser Busch InBev, praised the company's marketing decisions and adopted a positive outlook regarding the future of Bud Light, according to a report by Ad Age.
In his presentation at the Cannes Lions festival—at which AB InBev won the award for Creative Marketer of the Year for the second straight year—Marcondes spoke on the Bud Light backlash before shifting the presentation to other marketing projects by companies under the brand, such as Budweiser's "Bring Home the Bud" and Brahma's "Foamy Haircut" advertising campaigns. He commended the company's creative process, which he added has led to his success at the international creativity festival.
Anheuser-Busch is a frequent recipient of awards at Cannes and, in addition to its Creative Marketer of the Year title, won dozens of other awards at the festival last year, according to a report by AdWeek.
Marcondes addressed the Bud Light backlash when he spoke on how "beer is for everyone," but specified that companies must stick true to their values and not create divisive marketing plans. Marcondes said he viewed the marketing furor as a "wake-up call."
"In times like these, 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 said.
"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."
Since the Bud Light boycott, people have boycotted many other brands for entering the social justice issues regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Critics condemn the companies for getting involved in the political topics, and Marcondes echoed this sentiment at the festival when he said beer stands for "enjoyment and togetherness" rather than a political statement.
Newsweek reached out to Anheuser-Busch by email for comment.
Marcondes adopted a positive outlook for Bud Light, predicting that the beer brand will recover.
"Bud Light is coming back," he said. "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 Marcondes' optimism, Anheuser-Busch continues to come under fire. A statement issued by Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth last Thursday again infuriated critics, who complained that there was no apology regarding the Mulvaney partnership amid Whitworth's statement about moving the company forward.
"The statement did not include any kind of apology for using transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney," wrote one person on Twitter.
Another added: "Never buying any Bud products ever again... No matter what they say... Anheuser-Busch pushes new Bud Light rescue—but hasn't offered Dylan Mulvaney apology."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jpqloZ2lqLKzecGuqpygXZrFpq%2FUraCvnV2XwqV5y6Keoaxdoq6zr8SlZKaZopi8r7DErGRqcGBshHGD