Brands love to insert themselves the online buzz that surrounds current events. This is the Era of Real-Time Marketing, after all! But sometimes, these efforts come across like a weird stranger interrupting a serious conversation.
Bud Light is the latest brand to stick its nose in a serious issue in a way that doesn’t feel quite right. The beer brand glommed on the recent trend of people changing their profile pictures to a red background with an equal sign to show support for gay marriage. It’s a light, easy way for people to weigh in as the Supreme Court goes into its second day of arguments over same sex marriage rights.
Bud Light, in is meant to be a show of support, tweeted and posted on Facebook an image of an equal sign made up of Bud Light cans. While it is nice to see a brand take an actual stand on a divisive issue, slapping its product front and center of the message kind of leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
It’s definitely a very fine line that brands have to walk when it comes to chiming in about important issues that don’t have to do with the brand or its products. For example, Absolut, which has always been a brand that supports gay rights, added its two cents by sharing an image of an Absolute bottle covered up in a red blanket with the words “Absolut Support” below it. Having the logo on the bottle covered makes it feel more genuinely about the cause than the brand. Oreo created a post about gay pride last year that went viral.
Do you find this brand response to be offensive or a positive show of support?
Not sure what to make of this from Budweiser twitter.com/jaredbkeller/s…
— Jared Keller (@jaredbkeller) March 27, 2013
(via @jaredbkeller)
Note: Article previously stated that Bud Light had tweeted the image and removed it, but this has been corrected. Bud Light only posted the image to its Facebook page, not Twitter.
-
Why a DTC jewelry company is placing its bets on organic growth via TikTok
As TikTok continues to grow in popularity, a jewelry startup is hoping to capitalize on its organic growth.
-
‘Harder to dispute’: Ebiquity CEO on why advertisers are slowing spending in the Google-Facebook duopoly
It’s deja vu all over again with this sort of rhetoric. This time, though, it's not just big brands that are apprehensive about putting more dollars into Google or Facebook. It's the smaller ones -- the ones that account for the bulk of cash spent on those ads.
-
Why a sports betting company will brand the new train line to MetLife Stadium
As part of this effort, a variety of print and digital assets have been developed, as well as the official rebranding of all of the NJ Transit system's signage and advertising to accommodate the new rail line. A clear understanding of the financial agreement was not provided.
-
Sponsored<strong>How marketers are responding to shoppers’ wants this holiday season</strong>
Matthew Tilley, executive director, marketing, Vericast With the holidays right around the corner, the economy may force some consumers to adjust their plans and stretch their dollars even further. While some shoppers may rein in their spending, others will still go all out despite a cloudy economic outlook. Given the current economic climate, consumers are […]
-
How Squarespace is marketing more directly to the creator economy
With new features and ads, Squarespace is the latest tech company to market more directly to creators
-
Member ExclusiveMarketing Briefing: With pressure mounting on Q4, some marketers are planning to roll out holiday sales early
Marketers are rolling out holiday marketing and sales early as economic uncertainty persists and pressure builds for the fourth quarter.
