Bud Light last week released a new ad that shows young adults drinking beer at a country music festival, the latest attempt at damage control by the embattled company as its sales plummet amid a boycott over its partnership with a transgender influencer.
The ad, titled "Bud Light Shower Beer," shows a group of friends drinking in the rain as a country song plays in the background. The commercial is likely part of an effort on the part of Bud Light and parent company Anheuser-Busch to rehabilitate their reputation among conservatives. Bud Light reportedly saw a 26 percent drop in sales from a year ago, after conservatives boycotted the company for its collaboration last month with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Following the backlash last month, Budweiser released another ad widely seen as an attempt to make the brand's image more palatable to conservatives. The patriotic ad showed Budweiser's iconic Clydesdale horse galloping past American landmarks and farmland.
Anheuser-Busch last month placed Bud Light's marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid on leave over the P.R. crisis. Heinerscheid received scrutiny amid the backlash after it was revealed that days before the collaboration with Mulvaney became public, she said on a podcast that she wanted to make Bud Light less "fratty" and "out of touch" and instead attempt to "attract young drinkers" with "inclusivity."
The company’s partnership with Mulvaney was revealed on April 1. Mulvaney celebrated the partnership on social media, showing off a Bud Light can featuring the influencer and activist's face and a video of Mulvaney drinking Bud Light in a bathtub.
Several country music singers, including Travis Tritt and John Rich, announced they would participate in boycotts of the beer. Singer Kid Rock posted a video showing him shooting Bud Light cases with a rifle in protest of the brand's collaboration with Mulvaney.