Bud Light is back in the spotlight, and for once, it’s not for tanking its own reputation.
The beer giant, reeling from the fallout of its disastrous partnership with activist Dylan Mulvaney, seems to be testing the waters of redemption with a new ad featuring comedian Shane Gillis. And while it’s a step in a better direction, the ad raises a bigger question: can Bud Light ever win back the common man?
The spot, cheekily titled “Wrong Commercial,” lands as a parody of pretentious advertising. Gillis, known for his everyman persona, is cast as a guy expecting to film a beer ad in a bar. Instead, he finds himself thrust into a high-art perfume ad, complete with a sultry model holding a snake and a rock star inexplicably handing him sand. It’s absurd, and that’s the point. Gillis’s deadpan reactions — “What am I supposed to do with this sand?” — resonate with viewers who are, frankly, over being preached to by brands. The ad cuts to the real punchline: the alt-rocker who was supposed to star in the artsy commercial is now chilling at a bar, wings in hand, sipping a Bud Light.
It’s a clever jab at the kind of “progressive” marketing that turned Bud Light into a cultural cautionary tale. Gillis, famously axed from Saturday Night Live in 2019 for “offensive” jokes, brings an edge that feels refreshing after years of sanitized, agenda-driven comedy. He appeals to the exact demographic Bud Light alienated — average Americans who just want a beer, not a lecture.
But let’s not kid ourselves: Bud Light has a long road ahead. The Mulvaney debacle wasn’t just a marketing misstep; it was a catastrophic betrayal of the brand’s core audience. When former VP Alissa Heinerscheid dismissed Bud Light as “fratty” and “out of touch,” she unwittingly described the very people who kept the beer at the top of the sales charts. Conservatives responded with an unprecedented boycott that sent Anheuser-Busch’s revenue plummeting by over $1 billion and dethroned Bud Light as America’s best-selling beer.
Some say that ship has sailed and there’s no turning back:
I am not aware of this Bud Light you speak of since it must be dead to me.
— Scott Craig (@slc_orig) November 21, 2024
This doesn’t mock woke culture. It embraces them both. It only makes light of the fact that both guys are out of place.
Bud Light is trying to play both sides.
They should have never allowed woke ideology to intrude on and threaten conservative tradition, culture, history, and…
— shhall (@AlphaVMan) November 21, 2024
While others seem to extend the olive branch:
If they took this approach from the start, sales would be soaring.
— Sick of it all (@JD3hunting) November 21, 2024
I like it. It tells me the NEW person in charge of marketing Bud Light understands their customer. It also takes a jab at woke the way the “woke” guy is having a blast with the Bud Light people. I think this is Bud Light’s apology. We should forgive and move on.
— Jeni Matula (@JeniMatula) November 21, 2024
This new ad isn’t just a commercial; it’s a white flag. By mocking the kind of woke marketing that sank its brand, Bud Light is clearly trying to say, “We get it. We messed up.” And while some viewers appreciate the effort, others aren’t ready to forgive. Comments range from cautious optimism — “There may be redemption in your future” — to outright skepticism: “You’re trying, Bud Light. I appreciate it.”
The question now is whether this campaign is the first of many that will focus on rebuilding trust. For now, Bud Light’s message is clear: they’re ditching the woke nonsense. Whether that’s enough to bring back the guys at the bar remains to be seen.
