38. The Bud Light CoRntroversy, Revisited: Miller Lite Strikes Back

Lead Balloon - Public Relations, Marketing and Strategic Communications Stories

Now with 50% new footage!

During Super Bowl LIII in 2019, Bud Light launched a new advertising strategy that was... unconventional, even for them.

Instead of frogs or "wazzap" guys or silly superstitions, this campaign focused on attacking Bud Light's rivals for using corn syrup to brew their beers. Stranger still, outside observers noted that the beer giant borrowed other conventions from the world of political mudslinging, twisting facts, doubling down on vague talking points and attempting to build a consensus against Miller Lite and Coors Light.

But the brewing barons at Anheuser-Busch didn't count on the little guys... specifically, members of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) who took exception to the attacks and rallied to the defense of MillerCoors.

We've remastered this classic Lead Balloon episode to add the perspective of new key players, including:

• MillerCoors (now called Molson Coors) Chief Communications Officer Adam Collins
• NCGA CEO Jon Doggett
• NCGA past president Kevin Ross

Additionally, we've refined the original storytelling with NCGA VP of communications Neil Caskey, Brewers Association spokesman Paul Gatza, and friend-of-the-show Kyle Brown. Together, we'll break down the ultimate failures of "the Corn Syrup Wars," untwist the misleading claims made in Bud Light's ads, and detail the long-term ramifications for all the brands involved.

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Listen to the NCGA Podcast episode from which our new footage was sourced.

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