In a recent episode of his popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Joe Rogan offered a harsh critique of the predicament faced by Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light brand. Rogan argued that the brand is in a no-win situation, as any move they make seems to further alienate a segment of their consumer base.
Rogan’s comments were made in the context of a discussion about parody commercials of Bud Light. He noted, “They’re making these like very subtle commercials that are like, ‘nothing goes with wieners like Bud Light,’” and added, “And it’s like two hot dogs. People are like, what is this? Is this real, is this parody account? And it is a parody. But it’s subtle.”
Rogan pointed out that Bud Light has seen a significant drop in market value, approximately $26 billion, following a controversy involving a marketing collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Rogan stated, “And then the trans movement got mad that they didn’t support Dylan Mulvaney. So a lot of like, LBGTQ [sic] and whatever the other letters are, those bars stopped carrying Bud Light because they felt like Bud Light didn’t back them up.”
Rogan also mentioned Bud Light’s participation in a Pride parade, which was seen by some as the company doubling down on their stance. He said, “And then there was video footage of [Bud Light] sponsoring a Pride parade. So it’s like a Bud Light parade truck with a bunch of people dancing around. Like, ‘we like to f*** guys, too.’ And, ‘I’m a girl and I like to f*** girls.’ Like it’s whatever it is. It’s like they’re like dancing around inside this. So they’re now advertising in front of the product people.”
Rogan concluded his analysis by stating, “And so then the people are like, ‘they’re f***ing doubling down.’ They can’t win. So, the pride people are mad.” He and his guest, comedian and actor Tom Segura, then briefly discussed the appropriation of the word “pride” by the LGBT community.
