Budweiser to ‘Boost Testosterone’ with Harley-Davidson Partnership
Anheuser-Busch Budweiser attempts to recapture core audience; embellishes masculine image by partnering with Harley Davidson.
What do you do when you lose billions of dollars because your customers think you’ve gone too soft? You man up go to Harley-Davidson.
That’s what Anheuser-Busch is doing now, making a new commercial with Harley Davidson. If your manhood is in question, get yourself on a Harley.
A Question of Manhood
Speaking of questioned manhood, this whole fiasco started with the recently infamous Bud Light partnership with a “transsexual influencer” and TikTok star named Dylan Mulvaney.
Mulvaney took to Instagram and her 1.8 million followers to hawk Bud Light beer in which she celebrated her “365 days of womanhood.” She promoted a beer contest and showed off commemorative Bud Light cans with her face on them.
Then all Hell broke loose.
‘Woke’ Beer
Kid Rock murders an innocent case of “woke beer” with an assault rifle, turns to the camera showing a middle finger and curses Bud Light and its owner Anheuser-Busch.
A YouTube clip of a man violently destroying random cases of Bud and Bud light beer in a Walmart, slamming them to the floor, goes viral.
Bud facilities and employees are threatened. All sorts of entertainers, politicians and others from every stripe of life condemn Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, Mulvaney, their business partnership and the horses they rode in on.
Worst of all, of course, the company’s value drops by around $4 billion, according to financial experts.
‘Grit’ & ‘Resilience’
H-D to the rescue. The goal of Bud’s new commercial is to appeal to the opposite of “transsexual influencers,” which are unapologetic, hairy heterosexual beer drinkers.
Where do you find them? On Harley Davidson motorcycles, obviously, preferably in the garage working on them.
The new commercial is hokey, of course, but aren’t all commercials? It depicts a male narrator with a deep, manly voice like Morgan Freeman talking about “grit” and “resilience” and other manly virtues that “transsexual influencers” know nothing about.
Budweiser Marketing Smarts
The limited edition cans feature no bright, sunny face of a “transsexual influencer,” but a masculine HD logo to commemorate the Motor Company’s ongoing 120th anniversary celebrations.
See? Get a little marketing in with your apology tour.
And right there for all to see is “Kings of Our Craft.” Note to Kid Rock: They did not say “Queens of Our Craft.” Don’t go grabbing your AR-15.
Too Little, Too Late?
But, is it too little, too late? Not for the Motor Company. H-D caught a little backlash over its partnership with Anheuser-Busch after the Mulvaney flap, but that has apparently done little financial harm to the company. In fact, its social media programs have increased over the time period of the controversy’s start.
As for Anheuser-Busch, only time will tell. If the company’s little deal with Harley Davidson helps, maybe they’ll build on it.
However, if Budweiser wants to go the “manly” route again, here are some options–bring back boxer Hector “Macho” Comacho holding up a can of Bud with his foot on the head of his unconscious opponent who has just been knocked out. Bring back Arnold Schwarzenegger on his old Fat Boy, shotgun in one hand, can of Bud in the other, chasing down the bad guys. Clint Eastwood clutching his .44 Magnum in one hand, and can of Bud in the other, growling to the bad guy: “Go ahead, make my day.”
Photos: You Tube, Dreamstime
Join the HD Forums now!
