Most Interesting Man's Obama Endorsement Not Sitting Well With Some

The Most Interesting Man in the World doesn't always host fundraisers, but when he does, they're for Barack Obama. And that 's upsetting some Dos Equis drinkers. More than a few fans of the brand have taken to Facebook to protest a decision by Jonathan Goldsmith, the actor who plays the character, to host a fundraiser for the Democrat on Sept. 18 in Vermont. "Since you are supporting Obama you just lost a customer," wrote one fan on the Dos Equis page. "Mexican beer for Obama............bye-bye Dos Equis," said another. (We are assuming they are Republicans.) Brand importer Heineken USA closely guards what Mr. Goldsmith does in character, but since he is hosting the event as a citizen, the marketer has less leverage. In a statement, the company told Ad Age : "Mr. Goldsmith's opinions and views are strictly his own, and do not represent those of Dos Equis." One beer company executive not affiliated with the importer said it's "not smart business sense for any brand or company to be in the middle of a political debate," adding, "people are going to associate him with the character he plays and that comes with a high degree of risk and I'm sure it's not making the Heineken people happy." The situation with Dos Equis is particularly dicey because Mr. Goldsmith is almost inseparable from the character he plays. As Ad Age noted in this recent profile, Mr. Goldsmith is recognized routinely by strangers who aspire to be his character. But while some GOP Dos Equis fans might be turned off by Mr. Goldsmith's political preference, he might be helping the brand with Democrats. And there are plenty of left-leaning Dos Equis drinkers. Some 24,000 of Mr. Obama's Facebook fans are also Dos Equis fans, ABC News recently reported, citing market research from MicroStrategy Wisdom Professional, which provides market research on the demographics and interests of Facebook users. That makes Obama supporters "about 6% more likely to like Dos Equis than the average Wisdom Facebook user," ABC reported, while "Obama fans are only 4% more likely to 'like' Bud Light."

Most Interesting Man's Obama Endorsement Not Sitting Well With Some

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