Bud Light Faces Social Media Backlash, Apologizes For “Rapey” Beer Slogan

“The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night,” a Bud Light label stated. The slogan, which came off as “rapey” for many, prompted a social media firestorm that Bud Light is fighting to extinguish, according to The New York Times.

The slogan was a continuation of Bud Light’s “Up for Whatever” campaign and caused outcry for its poor choice of marketing language. “No means no” is a commonly used phrase to combat rape culture, but Bud Light seemingly insinuates “‘No’ means ‘yes’ once you have this beer.”

“As a woman, as a mother of a girl and a boy, I find this message very disturbing and dangerous,” Danielle Sawada posted on Bud Light’s Facebook page. “I have been a Bud Light drinker for quite a while, but until this campaign ends, you do not have my dollars.”

Twitter is in uproar about the tagline mishap, too:

Even Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey weighed in on the mayhem:

“This grossly shortsighted marketing tactic shows an epic lack of understanding of the dangers associated with excessive alcohol consumption, such as sexual assault and drunk driving. We need responsible companies to help us tackle these serious public health and safety problems, not encourage them,” Lowey told The New York Times in a statement.

Bud Light admitted that the tagline was a faux pas and Lisa Wexler, head of brand communications, tweeted the following, according to PRNewser: “It’s clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it.” Wexler said on Tuesday.

The company later sent a longer apologetic statement to AdWeek and noted that the slogan was meant to encourage spontaneous fun, but this message was misunderstood. ” We would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior,” said Alexander Lambrecht, VP for the Bud Light brand at Anheuser-Busch.