AB InBev’s Budweiser Super Bowl ad has caused a furor in the US, with Trump supporters calling for a boycott of the brand.
The ad tells the story of founder Adolphus Busch’s journey from Germany to America to fulfil his dream of brewing beer. One of the dramatic moments from the ad sees Busch being abused in the street, told to “go home” because he’s “not wanted here.”
It has been accused of being too political, coming so soon after President Trump signed his executive order banning travellers and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries.
A #BoycottBudweiser hashtag has started trending on Twitter.
Among the outraged tweets:
“#BOYCOTT @Budweiser. Political ads have no place being aired during #Superbowl #Americans want to protect our country! #BoycottBudweiser”
“Way to go @Budweiser you’ve managed to piss off middle America. You know, the people who used to drink your beer. #BoycottBudweiser”
“Dumb marketing move. Illegals and muslims don’t drink beer. EBT cards aren’t accepted at liquor stores. #boycottbudweiser #Hannity #DACA”
AB InBev has responded saying the ad was in the works for months before the executive order was announced.
According to Ad Week, the ad is an opportunity for Budweiser to tout its heritage and reposition itself to appeal more to craft beer-loving millennials.
In the third quarter of last year, Budweiser’s sales in the US declined by mid-single digits.
“This is the story of the original self-made man, one of the founders of the American Dream, making it the hard way, and his path that all came after him followed,” explains Laura Rowan, group strategy director at Anomaly, the creative agency behind the ad.
The story follows Adolphus’ difficult journey and ends with him having a beer with the company’s co-founder, Eberhard Anheuser. “We then see the words appear: ‘When nothing will stop your dream, this is the beer you’ll drink.’ We end with the Budweiser logo and [tagline], ‘This Bud’s for you.’”
The Budweiser team admits that despite not knowing Trump’s executive order was on the cards, they did realise immigration would be a contentious topic for a Super Bowl ad.
“It’s true, Adolphus Busch made an incredible journey to this country, and that’s really what this is about. It’s about his vision, his dream, everything that he does to achieve that,” says Budweiser Vice President Ricardo Marques. “Even though it happened in the 1850s, it’s a story that is super relevant today. That’s what we’re honing in on; it’s the pursuit, the effort, the passion, the drive, the hard work, the ambition, that’s really what this is about more than anything else.
“There’s really no correlation with anything else that’s happening in the country. We believe this is a universal story that is very relevant today because probably more than any other period in history today the world pulls you in different directions, and it’s never been harder to stick to your guns.”
