Former Anheuser-Busch InBev executive Anson Frericks told Newsmax on Monday that the best part of the new Bud Light commercials that aired during the Super Bowl is that they didn't have transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in them, and that's a start.
Frericks joined "Rob Schmitt Tonight" to discuss Bud Light's latest attempt to put the Mulvaney episode in its rearview mirror and get its core beer drinkers back in the fold. The new ads featured Post Malone, Shane Gillis, and Peyton Manning.
"The best part about this ad is that Dylan Mulvaney wasn't in it. So there was no controversy in this ad. It was just a bunch of, you know, fun 40-year-old guys having a good time in a cul-de-sac," Frericks said.
It was April 1, 2023, when AB InBev launched a social media campaign with Mulvaney. It proved to be disastrous, costing the company an estimated $1 billion in lost sales from the backlash. Frericks was president at AB InBev before leaving the company roughly one year before the debacle he saw coming.
"One of the reasons that I left is I saw sort of this culture coming in. I actually tried to do a partnership with Black Rifle Coffee Company that I was told we couldn't do because that was too polarizing," said Frericks, who had been with AB InBev for 11 years.
"At the same organization within the company that killed the Black Rifle deal, they green lit the Dylan Mulvaney deal a year later. ... Didn't make any sense to me. So I wasn't necessarily surprised when a year later, they went down this path."
As for the new ad, Frericks said it's a long way from iconic.
"I think the ad ... was a step in the right direction. It still wasn't great. If you want to think about some of the most iconic Bud Light and Budweiser ads of all time, they all have sort of a catchphrase that everyone says after the Super Bowl," Frericks said. "You had things like 'dilly dilly,' you had the 'Real Men of Genius,' you had the 'wassup' guys.
"So I don't think they're at that level yet, but at least it's a step in the right direction," he added. "I don't know if they're going to come back to Bud Light, but at least they're not going to stop drinking Bud Light."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.