Bud Light has been branded ‘desperate’ after releasing a new advert with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce in a bid to win back customers.
The embattled beer giant released a new 15-second spot on Sunday showing Kelce cracking open Bud Light cans and aggressively grunting with several other men.
The advert was a clear marketing U-turn after backlash to the company’s previous collaboration with trans star Dylan Mulvaney devastated the brand financially.
However, the effort has failed to gain traction after it was posted to YouTube, picking up just 2,500 viewers in over 24 hours following its release.
The new advert, titled ‘Backyard Grunts with Travis Kelce’, appears to be an attempt to claw back male drinkers turned off by its recent marketing choices. Kelce is seen in the advert attending a BBQ with several other men, satirically grunting as they slowly recline in their seats and crack open a beer.
The video was met with mixed reviews, however, with many commenters feeling the about-face from the company is not enough to win them back.
‘Sorry there Bud. The only thing that would be close to bringing your base customers back is an unconditional apology and a renounce of woke culture!’ said one viewer.
Another added: ‘Nice try but no dice’.
Kelce’s appearance in the advert was also met with backlash, with one commenter slamming him for being a ‘sell out’.
‘Not rooting for Kelce again,’ they said. ‘Will never buy another Anheuser Busch product ever again.’
The promo comes several months after parent-company Anheuser Busch was again accused of over-compensating to the backlash in a separate advert.
In an overly-patriotic ad for Budweiser, the brand released a one-minute spot showing its iconic Clydesdale horses galloping across the country.
A deep-voiced narrator says that Budweiser is ‘a story bigger than beer’ as the horses race across the screen. ‘This is the story of the American spirit,’ he added.
The ad for the beer – which like Bud Light is owned by Anheuser-Busch – appeared to be a return to traditional values for the brand which has historically appealed to blue-collar American workers.
