Bud Light's New Campaign Is Totally Tone Deaf
Photo: GhosX9/Reddit
Who are the brain-dead ad wizards who came up with this one?
Monday night, Redditor GhosX9 (via Styleite) shared a photo of a Bud Light bottle he’d purchased recently. Just below the booze brand’s logo, a slogan reads, “The perfect beer for removing ‘NO’ from your vocabulary for the night.” GhosX9 captioned the pic, “What the f-ck Bud Light?!?! Not cool man.” And we have to agree, wholeheartedly.
The new bottle design is part of the alcoholic beverage brand’s “Up For Whatever” campaign, which also carries the subtext, “The perfect beer for whatever happens.” Obviously, Bud’s intent here is more along the notion of YOLO and saying “yes” to new and fun experiences. (Think: the one-note plot of that weirdly enjoyable Jim Carrey movie, Yes Man.) But what about when “whatever happens” includes, say… unwanted touching? Harassment? Rape? All because someone removed “no” from her or his vocabulary?
The obvious problem here is the slogan’s use of the word “no,” which immediately calls to mind the familiar anti-rape chant—especially among colleges—”No means no.” (Though, it should be noted, the alternative yet similar sentiment of “Yes is yes” has recently been gaining popularity.)
If anyone should be concerned about issues of consent in connection with a product, it’s a beer brand that’s arguably the most popular alcoholic beverage consumed by college students and young people across the entire country. With reports of on-campus rapes, date rapes, and abuse in the news almost constantly, it’s beyond irresponsible for a company as massive and powerful as Bud Light (owned by Anheuser-Busch) to purvey this kind of message.
It’s nearly as disgusting and intolerable as the taste of Bud Light itself.
UPDATE, 3:20PM
Following negative press surrounding the bottle’s message, Bud Light released the following (semi-apologetic) statement to Buzzfeed:
“The Bud Light Up for Whatever campaign, now in its second year, has inspired millions of consumers to engage with our brand in a positive and light-hearted way. In this spirit, we created more than 140 different scroll messages intended to encourage spontaneous fun. It’s clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it. We would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior.”
Let’s see if Bud actually follows up by pulling those bottles from shelves.
More from Yahoo Style:
I’m A Date Rape Victim Who Wants ‘Yes Means Yes’ Sex Contracts
Store Pulls ‘It’s Not Rape It’s a Snuggle With a Struggle’ T-Shirt (But You Can Still Buy It Online)
I’m Livid About College Rape — Why Aren’t You?
