Coors appears to have taken a subtle shot at the Bud Light brand and its primary competitor Anheuser-Busch.
In April 2023, Bud Light caused nationwide controversy by sponsoring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The beer brand celebrated Mulvaney’s one-year anniversary of “womanhood” and produced commemortative cans to honor Mulvaney’s transition from male to female.
Bud Light initially defended the partnership, but later distanced itself from Mulvaney. The controversy led to calls for a boycott of Bud Light. Some bars even pulled Bud Light from their menus.
Following the Mulvaney situation, Coors enlisted help from actor Cole Hauser who is well known for his role as a gritty cowboy named Rip Wheeler on Paramount’s Yellowstone.
In a post to social media, the popular Yellowstone actor said it is “cool” to be the voice of Coors’ new commercial. Hauser said he is proud to be part of the company’s “incredible legacy.”
“Cheers!” he wrote to social media alongside the new commercial.
This year marks Coors’ 150 year anniversary. “Hauser, who narrates the new commercial, shared the ad on his Instagram page,” Outkick reported.
“Shockingly (not really), several of his followers took the chance to shred Bud Light,” the report added. “Dylan Mulvaney or Rip from Yellowstone? Tough choice!”
Bud Light sales have decreased significantly, according to data from Bump Williams Consulting. Sales of Bud Light in the United States fell by 21.4% in the week ending April 22, 2023, compared to the same week the previous year. In the four weeks to June 3, 2023, sales were down by almost a quarter.
The controversy has raised major questions about the role of corporations in promoting controversial left-wing propaganda on Americans. Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, announced it will begin significant layoffs following the nationwide backlash and boycotts against the company.
The beer company will lay off roughly 350 employees. It’s unclear if more layoffs are incoming as company sales have tanked. Bud Light also fired its marketing vice president, Alissa Heinerscheid, following the disaster with Mulvaney. A video surfaced of Heinerscheid criticizing the brand’s consumer base as “fratty” and “out of touch humor.”
“We had this hangover, I mean Bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty, kind of out of touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach,” she said in the video.
The company has reportedly lost billions of dollars as the stock price has dropped more than 12% since partnering with Mulvaney.
CEO Brendan Whitworth said, “While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success.”
“These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best—brewing great beer for everyone,” he said in a statement.
