Bud Light Tackles Another Hot-Button Issue: Transgender Rights

Latest Spot With Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer Says, 'Beer Should Have Labels, Not People'

Published On
Aug 15, 2016

Editor's Pick

Bud Light's socially progressive "Bud Light Party" campaign is tackling another hot-button issue: transgender rights. "Gender identity -- it's really a spectrum and we don't need these labels," Amy Schumer says in a new spot debuting today. Her campaign co-star Seth Rogen adds: "Beer should have labels, not people."

The ad follows recent Bud Light spots that have supported gay marriage and equal pay for women. "In our newest spot, Seth and Amy remind Americans that labels belong on beer, not people�"a message Bud Light proudly supports," Alex Lambrecht, VP of Bud Light, said in a statement.

The campaign has drawn support from gay rights group GLAAD.

"When a brand like Bud Light shows support for the transgender community, it makes a difference," Nick Adams, GLAAD's director of transgender media, said in a statement. "Not only does it help bring more visibility to the trans community, it also inspires other companies to do more to show their support. This ad also includes out trans actor Ian Harvie, which puts a face on the trans community and gives a trans person the opportunity to appear in a high-profile spot like this one."

Alcohol brands have long lent support to the gay community, which is a key constituency for liquor and beer marketers. But expressing solidarity with transgender people is relatively new terrain -- even though Bud Light's spot is not unprecedented in the alcohol category.

Earlier this year Absolut vodka debuted an ad with a transgender storyline about how Dave became Darla.

Outside of the alcohol category, Nike has been running an ad during the Olympics featuring Chris Mosier, the first openly transgender athlete to compete on a U.S. men's national team.

Bud Light's politically themed campaign, which is by Wieden & Kennedy, New York, has taken a more whimsical approach. Spots featuring the two comedians Ms. Schumer and Mr. Rogen have used the mock political party "Bud Light Party" in an attempt to portray the brand as a beer for everyone.

While the campaign has garnered headlines, the ads have failed to produce sustained positive sales momentum. Bud Light sales fell by "low-single digits" in the second quarter as the brand continued to lose market share, according toAnheuser-Busch InBev's recent earnings report.

This story originally appeared on Adage.com.

Credits

Date
Aug 15, 2016
Brand :
Bud Light
Client :
Bud Light
Agency :
Wieden & Kennedy - New York
Client Contact :
Alex Lambrecht
Executive Creative Director :
Karl Lieberman
Executive Creative Director :
Colleen DeCourcy
Creative Director :
Stuart Jennings
Creative Director :
Gary Van Dzura
Copywriter :
Howard Finkelstein
Art Director :
Grant Mason
Project Manager :
Sunjoo Ryou
Project Manager :
Lauren Amato
Project Manager :
Cory Chonko
Head of Content Production :
Nick Setounski
Producer :
Alison Hill
Producer Assistant :
Lisa Delonay
Producer Assistant :
Alexey Novikov
Strategist :
Nick Docherty
Account Team :
Brandon Pracht
Account Team :
Price Manford
Account Team :
Kyle Glackin
Business Affairs :
Sara Jagielski
Business Affairs :
Justine Lowe
Business Affairs :
Carolina Hernandez
Associate Media Director :
Justin Lam
Production Company :
Caviar
Director :
Neal Brennan
Director :
Evan Goldberg
Executive Producer :
Michael Sagol
Executive Producer :
Jasper Thomlinson
Producer :
BP Cooper
Director, Photography :
Jeff Cronenweth
Director, Additional Photography :
Ben Zlotucha
Director, Additional Photography :
Matt Egan
Editorial Company :
ARCADE
Editor :
Geoff Hounsell
Post Producer :
Alexandra Leal
Post Producer :
Anna Butler
Post Producer :
Cristina Matracia
Post Executive Producer :
Sila Soyer
Editorial Assistant :
Matt Ferran
Editorial Assistant :
Jon Dean
Visual Effects Company :
The Mill
Executive Producer :
Chris Kiser
Production Coordinator :
Devan Saber
2D Lead Artist :
Ilia Mokhtareizadeh
3D Lead Artist :
Ed Shires
2D Artist :
Michael Smith
2D Artist :
Jamie Scott
2D Artist :
Kshitij Khanna
2D Artist :
Burtis Scott
2D Artist :
John McIntosh
2D Artist :
Kevin Quinlan
2D Artist :
Jimmy Bullard
3D Artist :
Wyatt Savarese
3D Artist :
Sean Dooley
3D Artist :
Paolo Cogliati
Matte Painting :
Carlos Nieto
Motion Graphics :
Mikhael Villegas
FCC :
Michael Rossiter
Telecine Company :
Company 3
Colorist :
Tom Poole
Mix Company :
Sonic Union
Mix and Sound Design :
Steve Rosen
Music Company :
Massive Music
Song :
Victory Lap
Senior Producer :
Kiki McDaniel
Creative Director :
Ben Einziger
Executive Producer :
Scott Cymbala
Executive Producer :
Keith Haluska
Creative Director :
Diederik van Middelkoop

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