04 July 2023 , 20:16
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Bud Light's latest advertisement featuring masculine 'grunts' has left people in stitches.
The commercial, starring Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, shows Travis surrounded by a group of men, engaging in exaggerated grunting while cracking open cans of Bud Light and letting out a sigh of relief.
The 15-second clip featuring the American football player was released ahead of July 4, in an apparent return to appealing primarily to male beer drinkers.
It left some viewer baffled, one wrote: "This is what they think of their client base, stupid grunting cavemen," while others loved it.
It comes as Bud Light has lost its position as the best-selling beer in the US after facing a boycott.
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The 15-second commercial shows Travis Kelce surrounded by men, engaging in exaggerated grunting while opening cans of Bud Light (YouTube/Budlight)Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney had featured in a previous adm leading a conservative-led boycott of the beer brand - one of the most popular in the US.
In the four weeks to 3 June sales were down by almost a quarter, according to consulting firm Bump Williams.
It means Modelo Especial has taken the top spot, with 8.4 per cent of US beer sales by value in the period.
In a video posted on social media on Thursday, Dylan, 26, said she experienced "more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined" over her partnership with the beer giant back in April.
Bud Light has been facing challenges, including losing its position as the top-selling beer in the US (AP)She also said that the response had left her "scared to leave the house" for months.
People filmed themselves shooting cans of Bud Light following Mulvaney's brand deal. One of them, was American singer, Kid Rock, who shared a video of himself firing an automatic rifle at cans of the beer before shouting: "F**k Bud Light."
The Human Rights Campaign, the country's largest advocacy group for LGBTQ+ rights, since suspended its benchmark equality and inclusion rating for the brewing giant.
Two marketing executives of the parent company, Anheuser-Busch, took a leave of absence following the backlash, while the company faced criticism from supporters of Mulvaney for not standing up to what they described as "transphobic hate".
The chief executive Anheuser-Busch InBev, Michel Doukeris, said on a call with investors on 4 May: "We need to clarify the facts that this was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign."
"We are providing direct financial support to the frontline teams that work for us and our wholesalers as to Bud Light have significantly increased our investments behind the brand in the US," he added.
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