One Minute Bud Light celebrate One trans TikToker’s “365 Days of Womanhood,” the next promoting men beating each other up for money.
With the brief but disastrous partnership with Dylan Mulvaney still ongoing, the pendulum for the once-popular Anheuser-Busch InBev brand has clearly swung wildly.
Starting in January, the company behind the low-calorie beer announced that Bud Light will have exclusive rights to become the official beer of the UFC in the United States. The UFC is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organizer and boasts stars such as tattooed Irish fighter Conor McGregor. .
Marcel Marcondes, global marketing director for AB InBev, said: “The UFC has become an undeniable force in the sports industry, which is why we are extremely excited to partner with them and continue to promote the program globally. sports.” Joint Statement A meeting was held with UFC owner TKO Group Holdings on Tuesday night.
The six-year marketing deal allows Bud Light to rekindle a relationship that began more than 15 years ago and lasted for a decade until Constellation Brands’ rival beer Modelo Especial It was replaced in 2018.
Sponsorship is not limited to the U.S. market, though. AB InBev becomes the UFC’s “official global beer partner” and will enjoy “meaningful brand awareness” in front of the approximately 900 million television households watching its broadcasts.
Neither UFC parent TKO Group Holdings nor Anheuser-Busch InBev could immediately comment on the financial value of the sponsorship.
UFC CEO Dana White promotes mixed martial arts (MMA) as a boxing Club In real life, fans like Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg can channel what some consider a healthy release of male testosterone in a society of increasingly sedentary knowledge workers.
‘Back in business’ with Bud Light, but not just about the money
Perhaps suspecting the backlash, White gave an interview to Fox News Channel, often an outspoken critic of Bud Light, to explain to viewers why — in the words of host Sean Hannity — Americans might feel He was sold to an “awakened” company.
“Let’s be clear: When you sponsor, you do it for the money,” the burly CEO said in a statement. interview Wednesday. “Money is definitely part of it.”
White, who has previously expressed his “love” for Modelo beer, claims the vision of dollar signs wasn’t the only factor in his decision. Equally important are Bud Light’s core values, which he says are closely tied to his own.
UFC boss tells Hannity he was hired by company charity work For families of first responders and law enforcement officers, the company employs 65,000 Americans nationwide, including veterans, and buys $700 million worth of crops from American farmers.
For a beer company that has seen American male consumers abandon Bud Light in favor of rivals Modelo and Coors Light because of its partnership with Mulvaney, there is no better endorsement than White’s testimony. .
As part of the deal, the UFC said Bud Light will receive prominent branding inside the Octagon, the ring-shaped cage where mixed martial arts fighters face off. It will also be “highly visible” at events during UFC Fight Week, building anticipation through media-friendly events such as weigh-ins.
“We are back to doing business together,” White said in a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Modelo must take comfort in the fact that it surpassed Bud Light this year to become the most popular beer in the United States.
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