**Bud Light’s Latest Attempt to Win Back Customers: Too Little, Too Late?**
Bud Light, once America’s top-selling beer, is still reeling from the fallout of its ill-advised partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney last year. The backlash was swift and devastating, triggering a massive boycott that slashed sales and cost the parent company, Anheuser-Busch, billions in market value. Now, the brand is attempting a comeback, rolling out a new ad campaign featuring comedian Shane Gillis aimed squarely at reconnecting with everyday Americans.
But is it enough to repair the damage? Many are skeptical.
Kinsey Schofield, host of the *To Di For* podcast, appeared on Sky News to share her thoughts on Bud Light’s latest effort. While she acknowledged that the new ad—featuring Gillis as a relatable “regular guy”—is a step in the right direction, she called the move “too little, too late.”
“Unfortunately, the answer is no,” Schofield said when asked if the ad has been successful in bringing former customers back to the brand. “The content is great, but their former customers are asking, ‘Why can’t they just apologize?’”
Schofield added that while the ad has racked up over six million views online, the reception has been mixed. “Some are saying, ‘Why couldn’t you have responded with humor from the start?’ Others are asking if they’re allergic to apologies. The execution was great, and Shane was the right personality, but it’s going to take time—and a lot of humility—for these people to come back around.”
The ad’s premise plays on Gillis’ down-to-earth persona, contrasting an avant-garde, artsy commercial setting with a classic Bud Light scene: wings, beers, and good times at a bar. While it aims to reconnect with Bud Light’s core audience, many argue it’s not enough to erase the stain of last year’s debacle.
Sky News host Rita Panahi didn’t mince words about the root cause of Bud Light’s struggles. “Their parent company has lost over a billion dollars,” Panahi said. “It just shows you—when you go woke, you can go broke.”
The Mulvaney partnership, spearheaded by Bud Light’s then-Vice President of Marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, was supposed to “elevate” the brand by making it more “inclusive.” Heinerscheid infamously dismissed Bud Light’s traditional image as “fratty” and “out of touch,” claiming the company needed to appeal to younger drinkers to ensure its future.
“What does ‘evolve and elevate’ mean?” Heinerscheid asked rhetorically in a 2023 interview. “It means inclusivity… It means shifting the tone. It means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and appeals to women and men.”
But instead of evolution, Bud Light faced an unprecedented consumer revolt. Its loyal customer base didn’t want “elevation”—they wanted a beer brand that celebrated tradition, camaraderie, and authenticity.
Now, despite their efforts to course-correct with ads like the Gillis commercial, Bud Light’s inability—or unwillingness—to apologize for alienating its core audience remains a sticking point.
The lesson for corporate America is clear: Disrespect your base at your own peril. Rebuilding trust requires more than slick marketing; it demands genuine accountability. For Bud Light, that reckoning is still pending.
