The holding power of the boycott against Bud Light is proving to be remarkable, a rarity among right-of-center actions taken over the years.
Look no further than the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, where a Bud Light tent was all but abandoned as tens of thousands of bikers descend on the town.
A video making the rounds online shows captures the absolute lack of interest in the brand — even one of the attendants working the vacant tent could help but smile at the sad fate that befell Bud Light after aligning with 26-year-old biological male Dylan Mulvaney, who was celebrating 365 days as a girl.
I’m sorry, Budweiser.
Ok, no I’m not. Lol pic.twitter.com/m9zjWBbNmi
— Ꭾիѻєɳıẋ™ (@Phnix_2) August 11, 2023
The decision to embrace Mulvaney will go down as perhaps the greatest marketing blunder in world history, costing Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, billions in market value and all but destroying the brand forever. The company recently announced that it planned to lay off hundreds of employees and Bud Light has lost its crown as America’s best-selling beer.
As for the empty tents, Budweiser reportedly took extra steps to ensure otherwise.
“This year, Budweiser made a big show of its enthusiasm for the rally and its attendees. Not only are banners emblazoned with the Budweiser logo spotted throughout Sturgis, but the iconic Budweiser Clydesdale horses helped kick off the rally by headlining the opening ceremonies last Friday,” Blaze Media reported.
ZERO attendees at the Budweiser tent in Sturgis
This may be the BIGGEST marketing blunder of all time! pic.twitter.com/iSNqTyyOgc
— Old Row (@OldRowOfficial) August 9, 2023
Concerns about the time of day were addressed by social media users, who noted that bikers drink around the clock… here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:
Lol they drink from. Morning to night at Sturgis.
— Ꭾիѻєɳıẋ™ (@Phnix_2) August 11, 2023
Are you telling me this is real?
All you wanted was an apology.
But they gave you horses and flags and Harleys.Why that would be like saying: Anhueisr Busch, Harley Davidson, and the Ad Company that developed the deal to repair the “Queer on a beer” damage, is so out of…
— JNovy Ninja of Mediocrity (@Crypto_Cocktail) August 11, 2023
Bud(should have been)wiser
— SL8TR (@AC_SL8TR) August 11, 2023
I’ll be honest, at first I thought this was filmed before the bikers started coming through Sturgis…until he panned around and you could see all the other booths across the street full of bikers and all the street traffic.
RIP AnhB.
— THE OCpatriot™ (@OCpatriot_) August 10, 2023
Brands should stay clear of 2 subjects.
Religion & Politics.
— Jason Barrett (@JasonDigital) August 10, 2023
— drefanzor memes (@drefanzor) August 9, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
- ‘They have blackmail on you?’ Heads explode when Mark Cuban claims media ‘protects’ Trump - September 8, 2024
- Patriotic UNC frat bros start school year with $515K ‘Flagstock’ rager - September 6, 2024
- ‘Nervous’ Whitmer rejects polls showing Harris up 5 points in Michigan: ‘It’s just not true’ - September 6, 2024
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.