I'm not a UFC fan, and I'm not a Bud Light (or even Budweiser) fan. I don't follow extremely violent sports like UFC, though plenty of my friends do. I also don't drink that much anymore, but Bud was never on my "oh, I really like that" list of products. Nor were many of their now subsidiary brands. I have lots of friends who only drank Bud. I use the past tense for a reason, since they no longer do.
The recent attempts by Bud to rehab their image, such as aligning with the UFC, reek of desperation. A friend had asked me if I felt the CEO was aware of the choice to engage this marketing disaster that was Dylan Mulvaney. I simply said "I don't care what they say otherwise, but ultimately yes, in my experience, the CEO had to be aware." I was then asked if I agreed or disagreed with that decision, and I simply replied "Given how much marketing drives my industry, and what I know about how it is engaged, I would have disagreed and warned against it." That said, I didn't really care one way or another. Budweiser tastes awful. Mulvaney barely registers on my radar and what little I know is that he is a annoying twit engaging in idiotic behavior which, if I were a woman, would be insulting. But I'm not a woman, I don't care, and his attempts at humor and "activism" always fell flat with me. My position on this debacle was one of interested but rather disengaged onlooker.
Marketing, however, intrigues me. It's the heart and soul of my industry. My POV is always one which relies on expected results. Don't engage something where people who don't like an idea are likely to engage boycotting the product as a result. If that happens, you can chalk it up to a plain old bad idea that was poorly devised and executed. It's easy to point out that Budweiser has engaged the gay community many times and it was never much of an issue. That fact underlines the main point that the boycotts aren't anti-gay or anti-trans as much as they are that the marketing was ham-handed. A cutesy idea that was seeking to promote activist ideals in a fashion that hoped to 'raise awareness' without provoking a response. These things are tried from time to time, and most are harmless at best, dangerous at worst.
So this was a massive fail. However, I worked for Roger Ailes on two separate occasions and he made a comment that the American people have an enormous capacity for forgiveness. As a result, he always believed coming clean in a sincere and thoughtful manner will help reduce blowback. Generally speaking, he was usually correct. It's not foolproof, but it's pretty accurate.
If the UFC suffers as a result of their alignment with Budweiser, I'd have to say that it's probably deserved. Usually aligning yourself with a damaged brand, in an attempt by that brand to boost its image, will probably damage you and your brand. Cases where that didn't occur are far more numerous than examples which worked to rehab. It's the rarity of success which makes them noteworthy and memorable. Most rehabilitation requires extra effort and better management of image. Partnering with a popular brand that seems to be inhabited by the group you're seeking to ingratiate yourself with? A little too transparent and desperate. People can forgive, and are usually offended when they're treated as if they're stupid and unaware.
I'll wish Budweiser good luck, but I don't think their UFC partnership is going to help. It may even hurt the UFC a little. Images are important and maintaining them properly is a difficult task.
Recently, a business associate commented to me how powerful certain brands were. I replied I didn't think they were as powerful as he suggested. He asked why not? I said "If they were so powerful, then they wouldn't need to advertise. They could limit their advertising significantly - let the brand speak for itself. The product can speak for itself. But that's not how markets operate. The weakness of the brand is apparent in the level of advertising required to MAINTAIN the image. That is advertising's power, not the power of the brand. That is why it's critical to maintain image."
