Earlier this year, Anheuser-Busch-owned Bud Light received backlash from right-wing and conservative customers following the company's sponsorship deal with transgender activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney—a clear deviation from its usual backyard barbecue vibes.
When Anheuser-Busch did not sufficiently defend its partnership with Mulvaney, some LGBTQ+ advocates also called to boycott the brand. At the time, Bud Light was the most popular beer in the U.S. Since the controversy started, Bud Light sales have been dropping each week.
Now, it seems like Anheuser-Busch is trying to win back consumers, as mentioned during its Q2 earnings call.
"Regardless of favorability, our consumers across all the sentiment groups have three points of feedback in common. One, they want to enjoy their beer without a debate. Two, they want Bud Light to focus on beer. Three, they want Bud Light to concentrate on the platforms that all consumers love," Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris said during the call.
The brand's first-ever Bud Light Backyard Tour is similar to previous activations like the Bud Light Dive Bar Tour and Bud Light Seltzer Sessions.Photo: Courtesy of Bud Light
The tour kicked off in Nashville on Aug. 10 with OneRepublic, and will wrap up Aug. 29 in Charlottesville, Va., with Bush. Fans can RSVP for tickets to the free shows via budlightbackyard.com.
The summer tour features a lineup of rock and country performers including OneRepublic, Midland, Dashboard Confessional (pictured), and Bush.Photo: Courtesy of Bud Light
While music has been a “core pillar and passion point” for the brand and its marketing strategy, Bud Light wouldn’t say whether this tour with stops in Nashville, Oklahoma City, St. Louis, and Charlottesville is an attempt to win back consumers and its core audience.
Following the tour announcement, Todd Allen, vice president of marketing for Bud Light, told Billboard: “First and foremost, we care deeply about all of our customers. I’ve been across this country, visiting with consumers, visiting with our wholesalers, visiting with partners. Consistently, the No. 1 thing people tell me about is the love and passion they have for this brand, and that what they want and expect from Bud Light is to get back to what we do best, and that’s being the beer of easy enjoyment, and that means bringing family and friends together over live music.”
According to a recent Deutsche Bank survey, the beer brand had shown "substantive signs of progress" in August. "Crucially, the proportion of former Bud Light drinkers who say they are very unlikely to buy the brand in three to six months' time has reduced from 18% to just 3%, a significant improvement," Deutsche Bank analysts said. That’s probably music to the brand’s ears.
