Budweiser has released a patriotic new ad featuring its iconic Clydesdale horses just two weeks after Dylan Mulvaney’s Bud Light deal sparked major backlash, but the public isn’t biting.
The one-minute spot was released on social media on Friday and features footage of the iconic Clydesdales galloping across country, across open fields and past landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and the New York City skyline.
A deep-voiced narrator says that Budweiser is “a story bigger than beer” as the horses race across the screen.
“This is the history of the American spirit,” he says.
The promotion of the beer, which like Bud Light is also owned by Anheuser-Busch, appears to be a pivot in returning to traditional values for the brand, which has traditionally appealed to American working people.
This is in stark contrast to Bud Light’s doomed partnership with trans influencer Mulvaney – which ended in a lukewarm apology from the company’s CEO.
Online, however, users slammed the ad as a pathetic attempt to fix the ship that has been permanently sent the wrong way with the Mulvaney partnership.
The iconic Clydesdales are shown cantering across iconic American locations
“By far my favorite commercial was the Clydesdales after 9/11. It was absolute perfection. After embracing the transgender agenda, glorify a man looking for his 15 minutes of fame by mocking women. I will never buy, drink or serve your beer again. wrote one user.
‘Is the horse trans now?’ wrote radio host Dan O’Donnell.
“No, you destroyed your own base and market because you must have woken up. I will never drink any of your products again. wrote Brandon Saario.
‘Lol, hard pivot, huh?’ wrote Angela McArdlethe leader of the Libertarian Party.
Commentator Philip Holloway wrote: “Don’t look at Anheuser Busch and Budweiser now, but the Clydesdale has already left the barn. The train has departed, the ship has left the station.’
In one shot, the ad shows two people raising an American flag while one puts her hand on her heart.
As the flag is raised, the narrator says, “Brewed for those who found opportunity in challenge and hope for tomorrow.”
In another shot, the ad shows the downtown NYC skyline, where the Freedom Tower now stands in place of the World Trade Center. At that moment, the narrator says the word, “Remember.”
Not everyone appreciated the reference. Brandon Morse, Red State’s senior editor, replied: “I’m not sure a bunch of b-roll footage and some guy throwing Central American catchphrases at us is going to win us back, and quite frankly, it is nice to bring 9/11 into this thing insult.’
The Budweiser Clydesdales have been featured in Budweiser Super Bowl commercials for more than 30 years
The targeted ad comes as Anheuser-Busch continues to navigate the controversy surrounding the Bud Light partnership.
Bud Light and Budweiser are separate brands managed by the same parent company. With the new ad, the latter – often dubbed The King of Beers – appears to be stepping in to save Bud Light’s reputation.
In her controversial ad, Mulvaney posted a face-on clip of herself sipping from a one-off, custom-made Bud Light can to promote the March Madness contest – and the backlash led to parent company Anheuser-Busch Lost $6 billion in market cap in six days.
Mulvaney is best known for the Days of Girlhood videos, in which the 26-year-old documented the first year she identified as a girl.
But the 26-year-old TikTok star has angered some feminists and conservatives because she claims she plays a “girl” and co-opts parts of womanhood that she finds interesting – without having to confront the misogyny or prejudice that those do many women face .
Even the Budweiser Clydesdales have not escaped the backlash against the partnership, as a Budweiser dealership in Missouri last week canceled all scheduled events to showcase the massive horses over safety concerns.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a lackluster apology on Friday.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We’re committed to bringing people together over a beer,” Whitworth said in the statement.
In a statement after the initial setback, the company tried to reassure conservative consumers with a statement.
“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across diverse demographics and passion points.
“From time to time we produce unique keepsake tins for fans and brand influencers like Dylan Mulvaney.
“This commemorative tin was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not available to the general public.”
Their duplication only upset more disgruntled customers.
Observers are now slamming the maneuver as a shameless publicity stunt amid a recent trend of companies “waking up” to improve profits.
Anheuser-Busch defended the gift of her personalized tin to Dylan Mulvaney in a statement: “From time to time we produce unique keepsake tins for fans and brand influencers like Mulvaney. This commemorative tin was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale.
In early April, Mulvaney shared a video of herself in a bathtub while sipping on a can of Bud Light to announce her new partnership with the brand
The company has been hit with a spate of complaints, with many customers filming themselves dumping the liquid
Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s marketing vice president, previously fueled the flames of the controversy by saying she was tasked with updating the brand’s “fratty” and “out-of-touch” image.
“I am a business woman. When I took over Bud Light, I had a really clear job to do, and it was, “This brand is on the decline, it’s been on the decline for a very long time, and if we don’t get young drinkers to come and drink this brand.” There will be no future for Bud Light,” she said in a heavily criticized video.
“It’s like we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand,” she added.
“What does ‘develop’ and ‘increase’ mean? It means inclusion. It means shifting the tone. It means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different.
“And appeals to both women and men,” she concluded in a March 30 interview.