Budweiser Gets Roasted After Reimagining Classic Ads 'To Better Portray' Women
Budweiser celebrated “International Women’s Day” on Friday by rewriting history to “better portray balance and empowerment” in their old advertisements.
The company partnered with “an organization devoted to the accurate portrayal of women in media” to rework their advertisements from the 1950s and 1960s.
But the new “accurate portrayal” of the 50s and 60s completely removed one of the biggest cultural phenomenons of the era — traditional gender roles.
Take a look for yourself. The company posted its head-scratching new advertisements on Twitter alongside the old advertisements.
This year, in honor of #InternationalWomensDay, we are reimagining our ads of the past to better portray balance and empowerment. Budweiser is proud to partner with @seeher2020, an organization devoted to the accurate portrayal of women in media and advertising. pic.twitter.com/0XCyW3GWp1
— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) March 8, 2019
The company revised its 1956 advertisement by removing all references to marriage. The reimagined advertisement depicts a woman having a small party with a diverse group of friends.
The original advertisement from 1958 depicted a man in his workshop with his wife pouring a Budweiser into his glass. But the tools are put aside in the new advertisement, which depicts the couple sitting on the floor with an open box of pizza in front of them.
The revised 1962 advertisement is the most depressing of them all. Instead of depicting a happily married couple with a healthy meal on the stove, the woman is all alone in her kitchen with a bag of takeout, ready to get drunk by herself.
“It’s Friday, your favorite takeout just got here. Crack open a cold Bud and enjoy some time to yourself,” the ad reads.
Nothing says “empowering” quite like being lonely, eating takeout, and drinking by yourself.
I wasn’t the only one who found these ads ridiculous. Twitter users absolutely eviscerated Budweiser.
“So the man left her and now she’s drinking alone, eating takeout?” one Twitter user asked.
So the man left her and now she’s drinking alone, eating takeout?
— ıllıllı ıllıllı (@slatermaus) March 8, 2019
Other users pointed out that this isn’t an “accurate portrayal” of women in the 50s and 60s — these ads are an attempt to rewrite history.
Lame. Why rewrite history? There is also nothing wrong with traditional roles.
— Sarah Corda (@sarahecorda) March 9, 2019
One user implied that Budweiser’s ads are eerily similar to the classic book, 1984, in which the main character is tasked with rewriting history.
“Winston Smith works as a clerk in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to rewrite historical documents so they match the constantly changing current party line. This involves revising newspaper articles and doctoring photographs…” (from Wikipedia)
— Murray Manuscriptchin (@salemjelzway) March 8, 2019
“Between this and the whole corn syrup flub, you might want to consider firing your marketing team and getting a fresh start,” one Twitter user bluntly stated.
Between this and the whole corn syrup flub, you might want to consider firing your marketing team and getting a fresh start.
— Aggie’s Revenge (@AggiesRevenge) March 8, 2019
Budweiser’s marketing team probably doesn’t know any better. It’s the new trend for businesses to seem overtly “feminist” and “diverse” at every opportunity.
Just look at the left-wing pandering done by companies like Nike and Gillette. It’s becoming increasingly normal for companies to insert politics and liberal agendas into their products and advertising.
Consumers need to send a clear message to all businesses — not just Budweiser — that political and cultural agendas won’t sell products.
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