Update: In a statement released to its website, Bud Light's Vice President apologized for the beer's controversial label urging people to 'remove 'no' from your vocabulary.' Alexander Lambrecht writes "It’s clear that this particular message missed the mark, and we regret it. We would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior. As a result, we have immediately ceased production of this message on all bottles.”
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Bud Light has apparently developed a new, tone-deaf tagline for its beer bottles. In one of a series of new slogans, the beer now declares itself “the perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night.” An image of the bottle was posted on Reddit on Monday night, and confirmed as real to Buzzfeed.
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The tagline is part of a larger social media campaign called #UpForWhatever, which drew fire during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations for posts like the one below, which critics said promoted harassment and even encouraged rape culture.
Image via Twitter.
Budweiser was quick to issue an apology for that — though not for the campaign itself, just to whomever may have been offended. This new misstep is likely to leave critics even more skeptical of the brand's good intentions.
Bud Light would likely counter that they're simply referring to being adventurous and saying yes to all sorts of fun. (We reached out to Bud Light for comment, and will post an update when we hear back.) For for any brand, let alone one so closely aligned with college life, to promote "removing 'no' from your vocabulary," comes across at best as ham-handed and insensitive, and at worst as downright dangerous.