Bud Light and Budweiser to get a temporary camo redesign
Anheuser-Busch is reportedly planning a temporary packaging redesign for some Budweiser and Bud Light products, as the brands continue to suffer lagging sales in the wake of the company's controversial partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
A temporary redesign for aluminum bottles of Bud and Bud Light will feature a camouflage print in tribute to the 'Folds of Honor' charity, which provides scholarships to the children of fallen and disabled service members and first responders, a source told the New York Post.
The plan was reportedly unveiled during a meeting last week at Anheuser-Busch's US headquarters in St. Louis, where executives briefed distributors on plans for responding to the backlash against Bud Light.
A distributor who spoke with the Post said the camo print would likely only be applied to aluminum bottles of the two beers, but said it was possible that the temporary redesign would be applied to other packaging formats.
A spokesperson for Anheuser-Bush did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Tuesday evening.
A temporary redesign for aluminum bottles of Bud and Bud Light will feature a camouflage print in tribute to the 'Folds of Honor' charity, according to a new report
The plan was reportedly unveiled during a meeting last week at Anheuser-Busch's US headquarters in St. Louis (above), where executives briefed distributors
The reported redesign comes as the brewing giant continues to suffer a sales slump for its flagship Bud Light brand.
Long the bestselling beer in the US, Bud Light saw a 23.6 percent decline in sales compared to one year ago for the week that ended on May 6, according to data from Bump Williams Consulting.
That was roughly in line with the 23.3 percent year-over-year decline seen the prior week, marking a troubling trend for the brewery, if it persists.
The conservative backlash against Bud Light began on April 1, when transgender influencer Mulvaney posted a video of herself cracking open a Bud Light on her Instagram page.
She showed off a can with her face on it that Bud Light sent her - one of many corporate freebies she gets and shares with her millions of followers through brand partnerships.
Three days after Mulvaney's post, musician Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light, and several country music stars publicly denounced the brand, accusing Anheuser-Busch of wading into political and cultural issues.
From the other side of the issue, Anheuser-Busch has also faced backlash from some pro-LGBT advocates for appearing to disavow the Mulvaney partnership and leave the trans influencer on her own amid the backlash.
Several gay bars have vowed to stop selling Bud Light and other Anheuser-Busch products over the company's handling of the issue.
The planned camo redesign is a tribute to the 'Folds of Honor' charity, which provides scholarships to the children of fallen and disabled service members and first responders
Founded in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded more than 44,000 scholarships (file photo)
Within weeks of the controversy, two marketing executives at Anheuser-Busch took a leave of absence.
Bud Light's European parent company said earlier this month that it will triple its marketing spending in the US this summer as it tries to boost sales plunging sales.
But in a call with investors, Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris also downplayed the impact of the backlash, saying Bud Light's US sales declines in the first three weeks of April represented only 1 percent of InBev's global volumes.
Doukeris didn't mention Mulvaney on the investor call, but decried what he called 'misinformation' about the promotion.
Cans featuring Mulvaney weren't made to be sold to the general public, for example, but were a personal gift for the influencer.
'This was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign,' he said.
After several weeks of silence on social media, Mulvaney posted a video to her Instagram page earlier this month thanking supporters, but also not mentioning Bud Light by name.
'What I'm struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel. I don't think that's right,' she said. 'I'm just going to go ahead and trust that the people who know me and my heart won't listen to that noise.'
The conservative backlash against Bud Light began on April 1, when transgender influencer Mulvaney posted a video of herself cracking open a Bud Light on her Instagram page
Earlier this week, Republican members of Congress joined the debate, slamming Anheuser-Busch for allegedly wading into politics.
Republican Ralph Norman hit back at the company over their decision to have Mulvaney, 26, promote their product.
Norman told Fox News : 'If there's ever a case for a corporation to stay away from this type of issue - they made beer the last time I checked.
'They don't make policy. If they want to make policy, get into politics. If they believe in it that strongly.'
Norman continued: 'There are a lot of past consumers of Bud Light who will never drink another Bud Light beer in their life, including me.'
Republican Mark Alford also told the news site : 'Anytime that companies weigh in on issues involving culture and wokeism, it is a big risk.'
Source: Daily Mail
