"When things get divisive and controversial so easily, I think it's an important wake-up call to all of us marketers to be very humble," Marcondes said. "Recently, we shared that our partnership with the to empower LGBTQ+ owned small businesses across America will continue for the second year."ĭuring a panel at last week's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Anheuser-Busch's global Chief Marketing Officer Marcel Marcondes called this a pivotal moment in the marketing industry. "We remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations to drive economic prosperity across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community," a company spokesperson told CNBC. The company has said it still is backing initiatives to support LGBTQ+ Americans. The company said it has not changed any policy on decorations and is encouraging stores to celebrate Pride Month.įrericks said that company leadership at first "underestimated" the gravity of the situation and its subsequent decision not to defend the promotion.Īnheuser has pushed to win back its customers on both the right and left. The union representing Starbucks baristas said dozens of the chain's locations are not letting employees decorate for Pride Month in June - including at least one case where workers were told violence in response to Target's Pride merchandise sparked safety concerns. The backlash wave across the country, which has disproportionately targeted transgender people, has even weighed on large companies with more liberal reputations. Even if companies take no financial damage from the backlash, the increasingly aggressive resistance to LGBTQ+ marketing has jeopardized corporate-inclusion efforts that have become commonplace in recent years. The backlash against Bud Light has hit particularly hard because there are similar substitutes for the light lager, constant media coverage has emboldened the boycotters, and the company has not put forth a unified strategy, said Anson Frericks, who spent more than a decade as president of sales and distribution at Anheuser-Busch.įor companies such as Target and Disney, it is unclear if boycotts will hit sales. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lowerīoycotts usually have little effect on a company's bottom line, according to experts who have tracked them. Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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