Parent company of Bud Light faces awkwardness as it accepts prestigious award.

Industry Experts Weigh in on Bud Light’s Parent Company Accepting Prestigious Award

Amidst the fallout from its controversial partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), has received a prestigious honor. Marcel Marcondes, AB InBev’s top executive, was awarded the Creative Marketer of the Year at the renowned Cannes Lions Festival in France. This recognition comes at a time when the brand is facing a boycott and plummeting market shares.

Opinions on AB InBev accepting the award have been mixed. Some suggest that the company should have declined, considering the marketing issues it currently faces in the United States. One anonymous agency executive who previously worked with AB InBev stated, “They have bigger fish to fry than showing up to an awards show.”

However, there are marketers who believe that the company’s work outside of the Mulvaney partnership should not be overlooked. One industry executive noted that Bud Light is primarily an American brand and that AB InBev still has plenty of achievements to be proud of globally.

Not everyone is pleased with AB InBev’s handling of the Mulvaney controversy. An LGBTQ marketer criticized the speed at which the company distanced itself and advised the AB InBev team to approach Cannes Lions with humility.

The festival itself praised AB InBev’s sustained creative excellence and its reputation for producing innovative marketing solutions. In his opening remarks, Marcondes acknowledged the partnership with Mulvaney as a “wake-up call” for the industry and emphasized the importance of humility in divisive times.

While AB InBev has suffered significant financial losses since the Mulvaney campaign, Marcondes stopped short of issuing an apology.

Related: Agency Behind Bud Light Debacle Wins Ad Industry’s Equivalent Of An Oscar

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases