Welcome back to the Business of Wellness! Today’s solo episode is a deep-dive on the Bud Light controversy from a food & beverage marketing standpoint. We take a hard look at what better-for-you brands can and should learn from Bud Light’s many missteps throughout the handling of this controversy and discuss: Why defining & staying true to your unique value proposition as a food & bev brand is integral to driving key marketing & brand strategy decisions; why taste is ultimately the key driver of customer retention throughout a product & brand’s lifecycle, and why having clear values and a strategy in place that reflects those values  creates unshakeable brand loyalty among customers. I also share what I’ve learned about influencer marketing strategies from working with big brands and working for them; some background on Bud Light’s VP of Marketing; why Bud Light’s non-apology and lack of accountability got them into hot water, and why choosing NOT to stand behind their top talent will be one of their greatest hurdles to overcome. We also get into the ins and outs of beer distributors, why these relationships matter, and what it says to customers that Bud Light is giving cases of beer away for free to these key customer touch-points.  Plus, we go behind the scenes on  product development and R&D for food & beverage brands, the latest Anheuser Busch InBev earnings call highlights,  and how so much of where this all began with Bud Light is rooted in diet culture (yes, you read that correctly). Trust me, folks—  you don’t want to miss this episode! 

Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD! Please be sure to follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts; share your thoughts on Bud Light with me by leaving a review, and a 5-star rating.

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Add'l resources: 

• ABInBev Q1 Earnings Call Transcript 
• Bud Light VP of Marketing on the Make Yourself At Home Podcast 
• WSJ’s Tepid Take on Bud Light 

*Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician.