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☆ Anheuser-Busch facilities face threats after Bud Light backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Several Anheuser-Busch facilities received threats last week, a company spokesperson confirmed, following weeks of backlash against Bud Light because it sponsored two Instagram posts from a transgender woman. Mulvaney’s timeline shows one previous post that is also marked as a Bud Light partnership. Siegfried Anthony/STAR MAX/IPx 2023/APMulvaney is among many social media personalities that Bud Light partners with, Anheuser-Busch said in a statement to CNN last week. “F**k Bud Light, F**k Anheuser-Busch,” he said. Anheuser-Busch (BUD) is set to report its first-quarter financial results, including revenue, on May 4.

☆ Fact Check-Satirical article about Budweiser losing $800 million in one day taken seriously online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An article about Budweiser, a brand owned by brewing company Anheuser-Busch, losing $800 million in one day following its collaboration with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney stems from a satirical website but has been mistaken as authentic online. The claim originated from a satirical website called Patriot Party Press (here). The stock price graphic for Anheuser-Busch’s parent company AB InBev SA shows no significant losses visible in the first few days of April (here), (here). On Monday, its stock price had dropped 2.8% to $64.96 at the closing bell but rose again to $65.50 on April 11 as of this article’s writing. An article about Budweiser losing $800 million in one day was originally published by a satirical website.

☆ Right-wingers are so pissed about Bud Light's LGBTQ marketing that they keep buying the beer just to film themselves destroying it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney posted a video that was sponsored by Bud Light. Angry with the beer brand's LGBTQ marketing, right-wingers have filmed themselves destroying cans. Now conservatives, angry with the brand's association with Mulvaney, started taking out their rage on beer cans. Meanwhile, others — like TikTok user ramrebel1500 — are calling for peace and for people to stop destroying beer cans just to make a point. The Bud Light boycott, however, is linked to a deeper, more sinister anti-trans sentiment brewing on the right.

☆ Beer Drinkers Cut Back as Bud Brewer AB InBev Raises Prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Peter Stiff | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Brewer AB InBev said revenue rose in the U.S. thanks to higher selling prices and its strategy to push into more premium brews. Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev SA reported a fall in sales volumes for the fourth quarter as drinkers in North America bought less of the company’s beer amid rising prices. The drop comes as companies across the consumer-products industry grapple with how much they can raise prices to offset rising costs without deterring shoppers. For much of the past year, AB InBev said drinkers weren’t giving up their brews despite inflation’s bite, though that trend appeared to end in the last quarter.

☆ AB InBev upbeat on 'resilient' beer, China recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AB InBev's sales and earnings declined in China due to a strict zero COVID policy that was suddenly dropped in December. In the United States, AB InBev's largest market, profit and revenue increased, largely because of price increases, although those same increases, along with harsh winter weather in December, cut into beer sales in volume terms. REUTERS/Toby Melville 1 2Brewers have raised beer prices in response to higher energy and raw materials costs, and both Heineken (HEIN.AS) and Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) have warned of reduced beer consumption in Europe because of the increases. For the whole year, core profit growth was 7.2%. AB InBev also increased its full-year dividend to a proposed 0.75 euros from 0.50 euros in each of the past two years.

☆ AB InBev beats profit expectations despite selling less beer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR), the world's largest brewer, expanded its profit by slightly more than expected in the fourth-quarter despite selling less beer, notably in North America and Asia. However, it more than compensated for the decline with higher prices. The company's core profit - earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation - rose 7.6% on a like-for-like basis to $4.95 billion, above the 7.1% gain expected by analysts in a company-compiled poll. The Belgium-based company said that core profit would grow in 2023 in line with its medium-term outlook range of 4% to 8%, with revenue expanding at a higher rate than profit. Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Fed's own economists are warning of a 19.5% housing correction and more rate hikes could set off a 'domino effect'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

For more on that, I recommended reading my colleague Dan DeFrancesco's excellent 10 Things on Wall Street newsletter. And for today, let's see why the Fed's own economists are warning of a nearly 20% housing correction. They argued US home prices would have to tumble nearly 20% to bring the housing market back to fundamentals — and additional Fed rate hikes could lead to an even worse housing correction. Have you entered or exited the housing market in the last year? These four charts explain the troubling state of the housing market right now.

☆ Molson Coors told to pull Miller Lite ad that implies rival light beers 'taste like water'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Molson Coors has been told to pull an advert that implies rival light beers "taste like water." The NAD recommended that Molson Coors discontinue its 2022 ad promoting Miller Lite that said "light beer shouldn't taste like water. The 15-second spot shows a man cycling up a hill before stopping and pouring an "extremely lite beer" on himself. In 2019 AB InBev was sued by Molson Coors over a Super Bowl ad campaign highlighting the use of corn syrup in the brewing process for Miller Lite and Coors Lite. Molson Coors and AB InBev didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider made outside normal working hours.

☆ Britain's BrewDog aims to put Punk IPA on the map in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Punk IPA, Lost Lager, Elvis Juice and Hazy Jane have helped turn BrewDog into a household name in Britain. "I think the internationalisation of our business is kind of very key to our IPO plans," BrewDog founder and chief executive James Watt told Reuters. While BrewDog has had a presence in China since 2015, Watt said it had been hard to scale up without a local partner. It's a similar model to a partnership deal BrewDog signed with Asahi in Japan, which saw sales there double in its first year. In 2021, the last year for which results are available, it made an operating loss of 5.5 million pounds ($6.6 million) on revenues of 286 million pounds.

☆ Electric Ram pickup debuts in Super Bowl ad that pokes fun at rivals, sex-drug commercials
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ram's 2023 Super Bowl ad debuts the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup that is expected to go on sale late-next year. DETROIT – Stellantis will air a 60-second Super Bowl ad for its Ram brand to indirectly take shots at the current all-electric vehicle market, specifically pickup trucks. "Are you excited about buying an electric vehicle but worry that it could leave you ... The ad debuts the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup that is expected to go on sale next year. Online reservations for the electric pickup, which debuted as a concept in January, also open Sunday.

☆ Why the Super Bowl still matters: Football is 'the glue' holding network TV together
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

And it came on top of a 9% bump in viewership during the 2021-22 football season, he said. Nathanson said the NFL is the biggest single driver of network ratings — and ultimately advertising dollars — during the fall TV season. "Sunday Night Football" is aired on NBC, while Disney, which owns ESPN and ABC, has the rights to show "Monday Night Football." Amazon has the rights to "Thursday Night Football" through 2033 . All this is to say, that there is a reason why advertisers still care about putting their commercials on during football games.

☆ Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Super Bowl Ad Reflects a Shift in Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Jennifer Maloney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Squeezed by inflation, people are drinking at home again. The shift is causing whiplash for companies like Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, which had to pivot during the pandemic when consumers were stuck at home in lockdown and then flocked back to bars and restaurants when restrictions were lifted. Consumers in December said they were dining out less and eating at home more than they had over the past year, and they planned to eat at home even more in the coming month, according to a survey across 15 countries by Ipsos, a survey-based research company. AB InBev, which charts consumer trends through online panels, has received similar feedback.

☆ Nonalcoholic Beer Ad in Super Bowl Spotlights ‘Dry Economy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Heineken USA plans to run a 30-second Super Bowl ad for its Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beer, enlisting actor Paul Rudd as Marvel’s Ant-Man to make the pitch. Sales volume in low- and no-alcohol was $2.5 billion, while the overall U.S. alcohol market totaled $188.3 billion. Ad spending to promote nonalcoholic beer on national television, by comparison, totaled $9.7 million in January, up from $1.4 million in January 2019. Boisson Inc., a retailer of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits with 10 stores in New York and California, said it is increasing its marketing spending. SipSteady co-hosted a Dry Vibes event in January in Kansas City that included tastings of nonalcoholic beverages.

☆ The last Blockbuster store has an ad timed for the Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

That’s exactly what the only remaining store of the Blockbuster video rental chain is doing, and it’s during the Super Bowl. This photo taken on July 26, 2020 shows the interior of the last remaining Blockbuster store, in Bend, Oregon. Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon has created a retro 1990's living room setup for customers to watch its ad on Super Bowl Sunday. Blockbuster stores fell one by one, with only 10 left in 2017, and then just one. Adding a quirky ad during Super Bowl is just par for the course for this holdout from a bygone era.

☆ How Budweiser Tackled a Beer-Free World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

In the end, the brewer found a way to navigate the World Cup beer-free and roll with the media attention that the alcohol ban generated. Soccer’s 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ran from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. World Cup sponsors Kia and Adidas similarly maintained their reputational scores, according to the Morning Consult data. Budweiser doesn’t pay a reported $75 million for the official beer sponsorship of the World Cup just to serve beer at stadiums. But the ban on alcoholic Budweiser undermined the impetus for being at the World Cup, Mr. Marcondes said.

☆ Super Bowl ads lean on stars, humor to grab attention
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Musician Ozzy Osbourne takes part in a Super Bowl ad for Workday, in this undated handout photo provided by Workday. Big-name celebrities are not uncommon in Super Bowl ads. A 30-second Super Bowl spot this year sold for a little over $7 million, according to a person familiar with the ad sales. “Advertisers want people talking about their brand, and not just during the 30 to 60 seconds of (Super Bowl) air time,” Rucker said. Some stars will poke fun at themselves or their careers in Super Bowl ads.

☆ Budweiser looks to younger generation in Super Bowl ad
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Hip hop record producer Metro Boomin participates in an ad for Budweiser in this undated handout. Budweiser/Handout via REUTERSJan 31 (Reuters) - Budweiser is aiming to appeal to younger beer drinkers with a Super Bowl commercial that features actor Kevin Bacon and hip hop record producer Metro Boomin, and brings back the beer brand's classic tagline, "This Bud's for you." Budweiser resurrected the tagline "This Bud's for you" by showcasing real people who embody qualities such as grit and determination, said Kristina Punwani, head of marketing for Budweiser USA. Metro Boomin, who is from St. Louis, Missouri, where Budweiser parent company Anheuser-Busch (ABI.BR) is based, takes the fourth beer in the ad while in a music studio. Budweiser will utilize hip hop and music throughout the year as it focuses on younger consumers, Punwani said.

☆ How investors are playing the China reopening — from beer to travel stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Seema Mody | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

China is reopening and investors are ready for it. After a bruising 2022, hedge funds have been adding positions in Chinese stocks. Carter points out that even with China's outperformance this year, the MSCI China ETF is trading at 12 times earnings versus a Nasdaq valuation of 22 times earnings. HBSC analysts are recommending Yum China , saying the company is set to benefit from restaurants reopening. With the Lunar New Year underway, travel analyst Jake Fuller at BTIG raised his estimates on Booking Holdings for the first quarter citing "strong trends so far in January" and "China's reopening."

☆ Morgan Stanley says China's market will be the biggest winner in 2023 and these stocks stand out
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Since the turn of the year, investment banks have become increasingly bullish on the world's second-largest economy, upgrading their outlook on its stocks. But Morgan Stanley is going even further: It's predicting that Chinese stocks will beat global markets this year. "This actually implies that the Chinese equity market will top global equity market performance for 2023. So, this is the time to get back into China," Wang said. Stock picks Wang said the "number one trade" she would recommend to investors is to buy "large-cap, highly liquid" Chinese internet names.

☆ Bud Light and Budweiser are getting a makeovers at this year’s Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The latter, he said, “broke through” during the Super Bowl, but “needs time and commitment” to grow. In recent years, customers have been increasingly choosing premium or Mexican lagers, putting Bud Light out of favor with some beer drinkers. Garbe said the beer is the company’s “number 1 growth engine” and is soon set to overtake Bud Light in sales. Fox, which will broadcast Super Bowl LVII, is reportedly charging $7 million for a 30-second spot during the February 12 game in Glendale, Arizona. Liquor giant Diageo (DEO) is making its Super Bowl debut this year with an ad for Crown Royal whisky.

☆ China’s reopening has gotten Wall Street excited. Here’s how the pros are playing it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Over the past week, a host of Wall Street banks have turned increasingly bullish on the world's second-largest economy and have upgraded their outlook on Chinese stocks. Morgan Stanley expects China's GDP to grow by an "above-consensus" 5.4% in 2023, on the back of a "fast-tracked" reopening and more proactive policy easing. Meanwhile, UBS says Chinese stocks look increasingly attractive. How to play the reopening Against this backdrop, analysts have named a slew of both Chinese and global stocks they think will benefit most from China's reopening. Bank of America's domestic reopening beneficiaries include consumer stocks such as alcoholic beverage makers Kweichow Moutai and Tsingtao Brew , airline stocks including China Southern Airlines , as well as online travel platform Trip.com .

☆ Non-alcoholic beer to continue growing in 2023, Athletic Brewing Company CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But the CEO of one of the leading non-alcoholic beer companies said that the demand for non-alcoholic brews is booming well beyond a single month. "This is the moment we've been waiting for in the category," Bill Shufelt, Athletic Brewing CEO, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box "on Wednesday. Long a sleepy category within the broader industry of beer, non-alcoholic beer has seen its growth skyrocket in recent years as bigger beer giants like AB InBev and Heineken launch new products as well as the emergence of independent brewers like Athletic Brewing. The lack of quality non-alcoholic beer options was the impetus for Shufelt, a former trader at Steve Cohen's Point72 Asset Management, to start the Connecticut-based company in 2017, which solely focuses on non-alcoholic brewing. Shufelt said that non-alcoholic beers now make up more than 2% of all beer sold at U.S. grocery stores, and at some national chain retailers, it is upwards of 8% of their beer category.

☆ From a Deepfaked Elon Musk to RadioShack’s NSFW Tweets, CMO Today’s Twenty-Two Most-Read Stories of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Nat Ives | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Our report on deepfakes was the most-read CMO Today story in 2022. Prepare for what’s coming with this list of CMO Today’s most-read coverage in 2022, presented in order of popularity. How NSFW Tweets Plug Into RadioShack’s New Marketing StrategyAbel Czupor, who leads RadioShack’s newly edgy marketing. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. Photo: KayakA hospitality empire decided to try its hand at ad sales, too.

Critically, experts say, nothing that's transpired in the crypto market in 2022 undermines the inherent value of the blockchain. "So while this has been a shock to the market, a lot of people in the space remain sanguine about the future of blockchain technology." He said stock trading, buying and selling real estate, and borrowing and lending money remain ripe for disruption by blockchain technology. "The ethereum blockchain could turn out to be this major infrastructure layer for the future of technological services," Abner said. He said prospective crypto users must prepare for a steep learning curve going forward, because it ultimately involves trusting only yourself to be in charge of your assets.

☆ World Cup going from compact to super-sized in 2026
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The last time Mexico (1986) and the United States (1994) hosted a World Cup there were 24 teams. The 32-team World Cup in Qatar has a total of 64 matches, completed in 29 days, and, for now, the 2026 finals will be 80 games over 32 days. More matches, however, would mean more television rights money and, as the World Cup brings in some 90% of FIFA's revenue, its leaders will be tempted. The World Cup in Qatar has earned $7.5 billion in rights and sponsorship revenue, one billion more than the 2018 finals in Russia, FIFA said last month. One sponsor almost certainly looking forward to 2026 is Budweiser, the official beer of the World Cup, who had the taps at stadiums turned off by Qatari officials just days before the start.

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