Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth joined the crew of CBS Mornings on Wednesday to discuss the fallout to Dylan Mulvaney marketing campaign. It would prove to be a segment full of corporatespeak, Republican bashing, and covering up of just how badly the campaign backfired.
While talking about the Mulvaney campaign, co-host Gayle King illustrated, “How and why did it -- did it go so off the rails? Because that certainly wasn't your intention when you did one can to one person.”
For his part, Whitworth conceded it has “been a challenging few weeks,” but lamented “I think the conversation surrounding Bud Light has moved away from beer, and the conversation has become divisive. And Bud Light really doesn't belong there.”
Whitworth not being able to hit softballs would be a constant theme of the segment as King tried again, “Yeah, so what was your intention? Take us through -- what was your intention, what were you all trying to do here? And you've done this before, these promotional campaigns.”
Once again, Whitworth danced around the question, claiming “one thing I'd love to make extremely clear is that impact is my responsibility. And as the CEO, everything we do here I'm accountable for.”
Meanwhile, co-host Tony Dokoupil tried to turn the conversation to how awful conservatives are, “Given the moment we're in, this moment in America with trans issues at the top of Republican social-- or conservative political agenda, knowing what you know now, if you could go back, would you send this can to this one person again?”
For CBS, it’s not that Bud Light chose to do business with a progressive culture warrior, it’s that conservatives noticed, but yet again, Whitworth dodged the question, “There's a big social conversation taking place right now, and big brands are right in the middle of it and it's not just our industry or Bud Light.”
Whitworth would also recount how the company has done Pride-related campaigns before, which led co-host Vladimir Duthiers to grill him from the left, “But the political arm of Anheuser-Busch has donated to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians. So where do you stand, and where does the company stand on queer rights?”
Yet again, Whitworth dodged the question, “we support politicians that support our business… allow us to grow the business, allow us to employ more people and really help drive the economy.”
Later on, Dokoupil would ask, “So, how much is this marketing boo-boo, whatever you want to call it, costing Bud Light in the end with the drop in sales, with the financial assistance, with the new ad campaign? I mean, you roll that together, it sounds like tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars?”
Dokoupil should’ve just read the numbers: a decrease in sales of 28.5 percent and $27 billion in market value as well as multiple executives, including Bud Light's VP of marketing, were placed on leave, but conforming to the pattern, Whitworth didn’t answer the question, “We're focusing on investing behind the brand right now.”
The interview would conclude with Duthiers fawning over Whitworth’s resumé, “we should point out that you’re a former United States Marine and you were also at the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA… How did you go from the CIA to Anheuser-Busch?”
After Whitworth detailed his transition to civilian life, King followed up, “You still like this job?”
Whitworth followed up by hoping appeals to the flag would be enough to overcome the company’s current self-imposed mess, “I love this job and I love the company and it really is, as I mentioned, an American institution. And it’s really to me one degree of separation away from the United States -- the American flag.”
Maybe Bart Mancuso was right when he said of Jack Ryan, “Central Intelligence Agency. Now, there's a contradiction in terms.”
This segment was sponsored by Liberty Mutual.
Here is a segment for the June 28 show:
CBS Mornings
6/28/2023
7:31 AM ET
GAYLE KING: Many people in your position, Mr. Whitworth, would be running for the hills at this point because since April you all have faced a lot of incoming. How and why did it -- did it go so off the rails? Because that certainly wasn't your intention when you did one can to one person.
BRENDAN WHITWORTH: Yeah, it's been a challenging few weeks and I think the conversation surrounding Bud Light has moved away from beer, and the conversation has become divisive. And Bud Light really doesn't belong there. Bud Light should be all about bringing people together. And there's been impact on the business, and I think that's publicly covered on Bud Light specifically.
KING: Yeah, so what was your intention? Take us through -- what was your intention, what were you all trying to do here? And you've done this before, these promotional campaigns.
WHITWORTH: Yeah. It was just to be clear, it was a gift, and it was one can. But for us, you know, as we look to, kind of, the future and look to moving forward, we have to understand the impact that it's had and like I said, you know, that impact has taken place. But it's the impact on our employees, the impact on our consumers, and as well the impact on our partners and I think one thing I'd love to make extremely clear is that impact is my responsibility. And as the CEO, everything we do here I'm accountable for.
TONY DOKOUPIL: Given the moment we're in, this moment in America with trans issues at the top of Republican social-- or conservative political agenda, knowing what you know now, if you could go back, would you send this can to this one person again?
WHITWORTH: There's a big social conversation taking place right now, and big brands are right in the middle of it and it's not just our industry or Bud Light. It's happening in retail, it’s happening in fast food. And so for us what we need to understand is -- deeply understand and appreciate is the consumer and what they want, what they care about, and what they expect from big brands.
…
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: So, you did point out that Anheuser-Busch has in the past supported the queer community. In fact, you had these cans in 2019 that were rainbow bottles that were sold in stores all across the country.
KING: I remember those, yeah.
DUTHIERS: But the political arm of Anheuser-Busch has donated to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians. So where do you stand, and where does the company stand on queer rights?
WHITWORTH: You know, from a -- we support politicians that support our business, and when we say that we talk about things like -- things that work for the industry, allow us to grow the business, allow us to employ more people and really help drive the economy.
…
DOKOUPIL: So, how much is this marketing boo-boo, whatever you want to call it, costing Bud Light in the end with the drop in sales, with the financial assistance, with the new ad campaign? I mean, you roll that together, it sounds like tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars?
WHITWORTH: We're focusing on investing behind the brand right now. So we're actually increasing the investment on Bud Light three times this year as we move forward.
…
DUTHIERS: Brendan, we should point out that you’re a former United States Marine and you were also at the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA.
WHITWORTH: Correct.
DUTHIERS: So, you know a little bit about stress. Just a tiny bit.
WHITWORTH: Just a little bit.
DUTHIERS: How did you go from the CIA to Anheuser-Busch?
WHITWORTH: You know, I thought the highest calling that anybody can have is serving the country. But for, you know, personal reasons, you know, made the decision after eight years in service of the country to move into business. I worked for PepsiCo for a number of years. And I came here ten years ago. And I've been in this position for two years.
KING: You still like this job?
WHITWORTH: I love this job and I love the company and it really is, as I mentioned, an American institution. And it’s really to me one degree of separation away from the United States -- the American flag. And so even though I'm not serving the country anymore, I still feel like I have an opportunity to support the country and that's exactly what Anheuser-Busch gives us the opportunity to do.
