Et tu, Kid Rock?
So, it was back in April when the right wing rock and roller came up with a rather creative way to express his displeasure with Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) -) after the beverage kingpin sent transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney a can of Bud Light with her face on it.
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The promotion, which celebrated the one-year anniversary of Mulvaney's transition, was meant as a small measure of outreach to the LGBTQ+ community.
Looks like Twitter is NOT happy with #KidRock after he was spotted sipping a Bud Light just a few days back. https://t.co/9uenE154ME
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 20, 2023
The Detroit Cowboy didn't see it that way, however, so he did what any red-blooded American beer-lover would do: he posted a video of himself on social media blasting away at multiple cases of Bud Light with what appeared to be an MP-5 submachine gun.
"Grandpa's feeling a little frisky today," he said after the brewski bloodbath. "Let me say something to all you and be as clear and concise as possible: f*** Bud light. And f*** Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day."
All sorts of holy hell followed as Bud Light lost its place as America’s best-selling beer after more than two decades, coming in behind Mexican lager Modelo Especial.
InBev also owns Modelo outside the U.S., but in the U.S. the brand is imported and sold by Constellation Brands (STZ) -).
The company shifted into damage control mode, launching a promotion in May that offered a rebate of up to $15 to win back customers.
Company 'listening to its customers'
CEO Michel Doukeris said during the company's Aug. 3 earnings call that "people want to enjoy their beer without the debate. We are listening to our consumers."
"Regardless of favorability, our consumers across all the sentiment groups have three points of feedback in common," he said. "One, they want to enjoy their beer without a debate. Two, they want Bud Light to focus on beer. Three, they want Bud Light to concentrate on the platforms that all consumers love."
But then last month, sharp-eyed patrons at Kid Rock's Nashville bar last month spotted the iconic blue bottles still being served with nary a submachine gun in sight.
And more recently, Kid Rock was spotted at Skydeck in Nashville, taking in Colt Ford's show and--oh, yeah-- drinking a Bud Light, according to TMZ.
“The former rocker seemed pretty relaxed as he clutched the blue can, taking sips while chatting and laughing with some friends,” TMZ reported. “Unclear if there were other beer options available, but Kid Rock’s choice seems pretty shocking considering how hard he went in on the brand earlier this year.”
Obviously, the internet wasn't going to take this lying down, as commenters on X, formerly Twitter, were feeling more than a little bit frisky about the issue.
"Kid rock is woke," JTK tweeted (X'ed?)
"Interesting to see Kid Rock, who once led a boycott against Bud Light, enjoying the beverage at a Nashville concert," fity.eth said. "People's opinions can change over time, I guess!"
— Censored By Rudy (@CensoredRudy) August 19, 2023
Censored by Rudy did a "Broken Back Mountain" themed meme that featured a doctored still from the film about cowboys in love with Kid Rock being embraced by a Stetson-wearing Bud Light can.
Bud light bouncing back?
"Boy, I wish I knew how to quit you," the caption reads.
Of course, it wouldn't be social media without conspiracy theories and they were plenty of people who thought the story was a crock.
"It’s clearly photoshopped," Sarah Fields posted. "Not sure how people don’t see that. The first photo doesn’t even look like a Bud-light. It’s a red bull. Lol."
Others pointed out that one can't photoshop a video, which sparked another debate.
But now that the gun smoke has cleared its seems that the overall financial impact on AB InBev hasn't been so bad.
The company said global revenue rise by 7.2% even though overall volume fell by 1.4% in the second quarter.
And it looks like Bud Light has started to win over Americans again.
Deutsche Bank said that the beer brand had shown "substantive signs of progress" in August as it tries to regain customers after the Mulvaney backlash, according to Business Insider.
"Crucially, the proportion of former Bud Light drinkers who are say they are very unlikely to buy the brand in 3-6 months time has reduced from 18% to just 3%, a significant improvement," Deutsche Bank said as part of its monthly coverage of the AB InBev.
Only 19% of beer drinkers now say they are no longer willing to buy the brand, down from 21% in July, the analysts said.
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