NFL legends Payton Manning and Emmit Smith laugh it up for Bud Light in a new commercial (Photo: Anheuser-Busch/screencap)
Peyton Manning is throwing a “hail Mary” pass for Bud Light, the embattled beer brand that’s facing interference from right-wingers. NFL legend Emmitt Smith is slashing through the line, as well.
The Bud Light beer brand, which mostly appealed to middle-brow consumers, got caught up in the “woke” culture war when it featured trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney in an advertisement.
It was a bid to broaden its audience that back-fired. Anti-trans bigots and conservative talking heads called for boycott. Sales reportedly fell 30 percent.
The brand, which remains an official NFL sponsor, soldiered through it, and the Manning-Smith ads are expected to be a big boost.
Anheuser-Busch InBev, which owns the brand, saw it’s stock price initially waiver during the height of publicity over the boycott. But it’s recovered all its value and then some, and is trading near its 52-week high.
Hick hop artist Kid Rock, who was prominently featured in the boycott, has had a change of heart since Mulvaney first appeared on a Bud Light can.
He got involved because he thought “you kind of signal to us, you support this lifestyle and more importantly like men being in women’s sports, or in my granddaughter’s locker room,” he told Sean Hannity.
“Most of us draw a hard line right there. Nah, no, no, no, no. What like — what are you doing?” he said.
Rock famously released a video, shooting up a bunch of Bud Light cans. But more recently, he’s been photographed drinking Bud Light.
For his part, Rock said he never called for a boycott.
The Manning-Smith ad will air during the 2023 NFL Playoff season, including Super Bowl LVIII,
Anheuser-Busch also reached out to MMA the cage-fighting promotion company, which welcomed the relationship. The deal is reportedly worth $105 million.
Angry UFC fans are trying to organize another boycott, but MMA honco Dan White blew them off.
‘Bud Light is the right move for me. They are exactly who I want to be with, right now, and we are very aligned as far as core values go.
‘I look deeper than just fucking “oh you know, they did this can with whoever.” I don’t give a shit. You guys think you’re all looking for an apology, they ain’t going to fucking apologize to you.”
Check out the Peyton Manning/Emmit Smith video below.