Bud Light’s inclusive ad campaigns are good for business, experts say

Company X introduces marketing campaign that touches on Y, a cultural issue some people oppose. Group Z lashes out on social media. Rinse. Repeat.

It happens again and again: Nike and social-justice advocate Colin Kaepernick. M&M’s and female “spokescandies.” And last week, Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser Busch were targeted by singer Kid Rock and others after partnering with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender woman and influencer, in its marketing.

The phrase “get woke go broke,” employed by some conservatives on social media, suggests that brands which employ inclusive campaigns are angering a significant enough portion of consumers to lead to a material drop in sales. But experts say that inclusive campaigns are, in fact, often lucrative for businesses, serving as an important tool to reach key demographics.

For Bud Light in particular, reaching a new audience is crucial, Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing at Bud Light, said in a recent Make Yourself at Home podcast interview.

“If we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” she said in a interview posted to YouTube in March, before the current wave of anti-trans backlash. Bud Light had “been in decline for a really long time,” she said.