The man who wrote one of the most distinctive marketing campaigns of the late 90s and early 2000s would like to see the brand he helped build rebound from a rocky 2023.
Bob Winter, a Chicago-based copywriter, was the mind behind Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius” ad campaign.
“It’s such an awesome, classic, great American brand, and, you know, the fact that it’s always been about bringing people together just made the [Genius] campaign so right for it,” Winter told Fox News Digital. “The fact that it was like a tribute to the real blue-collar, blood, sweat and tears Americans, I think, is what made it really authentic to the brand and to, I guess, the country.”
“To me, it’s like, why can’t we all get together and have a laugh, ‘all’ meaning everybody?” he asked.
Of course, the brand that Winter helped promote with those ads was Bud Light, and 2023 saw America’s longtime #1-selling beer fall hard from its perch.
In the spring, following an online advertising promotion that Bud Light did with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, a tide of right-wing backlash rained down upon the popular beer.
The ensuing boycott proved to have staying power among conservatives, and six months after the Mulvaney promotion, AB InBev – the parent corporation that owns Anheuser-Busch – reported a 13.5% decline in U.S. revenue as of the third quarter of 2023.
“It made me sad that the reaction to that was what it was because I think the brand has never been about choosing sides or anything like that.
It’s always been about inclusivity and bringing people together,” Winter said.
“I really hope that people can see past that… You know, I think people don’t realize how much they have in common with the brand and with the company. The foundations are all kind of what we all share, so I’m hoping it’ll come back. I think it will. It’s got to. It’s such a great brand, so I’m rooting for it.”
“I don’t see why it was so wrong, to be honest with you, and I think that because they’ve always been about inclusivity and bringing people together, that should be all people,” he added.
In recent weeks, Bud Light has looked to reverse its fortunes through its long-held partnership with the NFL and its announcement as the official beer of UFC. Meanwhile, musician Kid Rock, who helped kickstart the boycott in the first place, has recently spoken out as well saying its time to end the shunning.
“I would like to see people get us back on board and become bigger because that’s the America that I want to live in,” Rock said in an interview with Tucker Carlson. “There’s nothing wrong with giving a spanking.
You don’t spank them for the rest of their life.”