Historically, Bud light has used frat-boy humor and other silliness to stand out from the pack. But the beer is trying to grow up and mature. The brand is turning to women and LGBTQ themes in its new ads, and it has made a point of hiring female employees.
The company is also working to boost its reputation in the brewing industry by investing in a series of brewery tours and events. These events and partnerships are meant to foster a sense of community among breweries and highlight the importance of the industry to the country’s economy. The brand is bringing the tour to the nation’s capital in May. The event is called “The Brew Masters Tour” and will feature the founders of several breweries, including Boston-based Sam Adams, who founded the first brewery in America.
Bud Light has also taken steps to improve its customer service, making it easier for people to reach the brand’s support team and get answers to questions they have about the product. The company has a dedicated phone number for Bud Light customers and a Twitter account with real people to answer questions. It has also started a program to reward fans with points that can be redeemed for free Bud Light products.
Despite these measures, many Bud Light customers remain dissatisfied with the brand. The informal boycott has slashed the company’s sales in some areas and prompted Anheuser-Busch to put two marketing executives on leave.
But the beer is still the best-selling light lager in the United States. And while a boycott can have an immediate impact on sales, research shows that they’re typically short-lived.
A recent study by Bain and Company found that brands who try to appeal to a specific group of consumers risk alienating the rest of their audience. The study also finds that the quickest way to recover from negative feedback is to create a new message that appeals to the majority of your customer base.
In the case of Bud Light, this might mean continuing to promote its LGBT-friendly initiatives and avoiding controversial topics like politics and religion. The beer has a 14 NPS score, which is the rating of how likely customers are to recommend the brand to friends and family. It also has a 0 employee NPS, which measures how satisfied employees are with the company.
As the political climate in the United States becomes more contentious, Bud Light could face more boycotts in the future. But it’s important for the company to know that, when they do come, consumer zeal for boycotts tends to fade. “Eventually the media spotlight will dim, the buzz will fade and alongside it, consumer zeal for the boycott will wane,” a Pepperdine University professor of marketing said. “But you need to have a plan for when that happens.” Bud light customer service