File photo of aluminum bottles of Bud Light beer are on display at Alcoa headquarters in Pittsburgh. Anheuser-Busch is apologizing Tuesday, April 29, 2015, for a slogan that appeared on bottles saying Bud Light removes the word 'no' from drinkers' vocabulary.Gene J. Puskar/The Associated Press
Bud Light has built a brand image as the beer of choice for young people ready to party, who are "up for whatever," according to its slogan. But now the brand has come under fire for taking that anything-goes message too far.
On Monday, a contributor on Reddit posted a picture of a tagline on a Bud Light bottle label, which reads, "The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night."
The slogan caused some on social media to criticize the brand for promoting a culture of pressuring women for sex. While others argued the implication was far-fetched, "no means no" has been a mainstay of education around sexual consent. And this is dicey territory for an alcohol brand, considering that alcohol is often a factor in sexual assault cases – either on the part of the perpetrator who removes his own inhibitions, or a victim who is unable to give sober consent.
It's not the first to face such controversy. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA was forced to apologize in 2012 after its Belvedere vodka brand posted a joke on its Facebook page that appeared to make light of sexual assault. A picture of a smiling man holding a woman who appeared to be trying to get away was accompanied by the words, "Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly."
Bud Light has marketed its brand to young drinkers by embodying an adventurous tone. Its Super Bowl ad this year challenged a man in a bar to be "up for whatever happens," and then directed him to a life-sized game of Pacman set up in the street.
The company claims the slogan unintentionally sent the wrong message, and was meant instead to communicate that same party spirit. On Tuesday, Bud Light's vice president, Alexander Lambrecht, issued the following statement:
"The Bud Light Up for Whatever campaign, now in its second year, has inspired millions of consumers to engage with our brand in a positive and light-hearted way. In this spirit, we created more than 140 different scroll messages intended to encourage spontaneous fun. It's clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it. We would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior."
Messages like this, whether posted on social media sites or printed on packaging, go through multiple levels of approvals – particularly at a company as large as Anheuser Busch. That's not to say the company consciously decided that a slogan with connotations of date rape was a good idea: but it is a sign that the marketing team needs to think more carefully about its communications, since no one at any level of approval noticed a problem with suggesting that young people who are drinking its product should just forget about the word "no."
The bottles were never sold in Canada. The taglines on the bottles were part of an American campaign.