Anheuser-Busch has found two willing accomplices in its effort to rehabilitate itself in the wake of Bud Light’s transgender marketing fiasco starring Dylan Mulvaney. Leading the charge are two names seemingly designed to win back the hearts and wallets of conservative beer drinkers — Kid Rock and UFC boss Dana White.
What a difference seven months make.
Kid Rock’s moral u-turn is the more surprising of the two. After kicking off the boycott in April by posting a video of himself opening fire on cases of Bud Light, the rocker is now calling for forgiveness and a second chance, citing his Christian faith.
“As a God-fearing man, as a Christian, I have to believe in forgiveness,” he said during an interview on Fox News’ Hannity on Thursday. He also said he doesn’t want Republicans to become “the party of cancel culture and boycotts.”
.@kidrock I don't want to be in the party of cancel culture and boycotts https://t.co/SlXIR9dgf0
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) November 16, 2023
Meanwhile, the UFC recently signed a sponsorship deal with Bud Light that ESPN reported to be the biggest such deal in the company’s history. UFC CEO Dana White got defensive when asked about the Bud Light sponsorship during an appearance on comedian Theo Von’s podcast this week.
“Bud Light is the right move for me. They’re exactly who I want to be with right now and we are very aligned as far as core values go,” he said, later citing the company’s philanthropic endeavors.He also addressed the backlash from what he called “fanatical” UFC fans who object to the league’s teaming up with Bud Light. “I ain’t going to fucking apologize to you,” he told them.
Kid Rock and Dana White recently joined former President Donald Trump at a UFC match last weekend in New York.
Will their endorsements be enough to convince red America to return to drinking what some have dubbed “tranny semen” and the “queen of beers”?
The figures don’t look promising.
Anheuser-Busch’s parent company recently reported a 13.5 percent drop in its U.S. revenue per 100 liters, a key metric for measuring beer sales, during the third quarter of 2023, according to a CBS News report.
This week, the company announced its chief marketing officer for the U.S. is stepping down at the end of the year — the latest corporate departure following the Mulvaney disaster.
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