They weren’t thinking.
The left only talks to the left, so they become an echo chamber and they think every one of their ideas are the only ideas worth considering.
I can also see that some executive may have fed a more senior executive this idea to get rid of him. I know that’s how they conduct war on each other in the executive suite, by feeding bad ideas and see who takes the bait.
“I don’t know anyone who voted for Richard Nixon!” said some Leftist Manhattan socialite some years ago...
The largest marketing companies in the USA are on Madison Avenue/Manhattan/NYC. Except, they people working there are not like Don Draper of Mad Men anymore. They are all the graduates of the marketing at some place like I went (Syracuse University).
These people live on Long Island, CT, NJ and in the city. They live in very small apartments or take the train to work.
They do not drink Bud Light. As the VP of the brand stated, she wanted to promote the brand to people other than “frat boys”. To stop its decline in sales. The problem is she doesn’t understand the market segment that drinks Bud Light.
First of all. 80% of beer is consumed by MEN. The women that do drink Bud Light are younger women that are college age. The MEN that drink Bud Light are typically younger guys in their twenties and blue collar guys that will not pay up to get a better beer.
The biggest change in beer consumption over the last 30 years is the market penetration of micro brew beers. This has led to a lot of guys drinking IPAs. My 39 year old son in law drinks all those IPAs that I HATE.
So, the real problem with Bud Lights decline is that there are better options to drink. Their competition is not the IPAs as much as it is Miller Lite, Coors Lite, Corona Lite, Labatts Blue Light and all the other crappy light beers that have taken a segment of their market share.
As I have stated on previous threads, I would occasionally have a Bud Light draft at my local watering holes because the only other choices were 7 different IPAs, Guiness and the Sam Adams seasonal. Most bars here in NH(except Mexican restaurants) always had Bud Light on draft because there is brewery right down the road in Merrimack.
This VP of ABV made a mistake they teach you in Marketing 101. Never alienate your core market segment. She and whoever above her on the executive level that approved this marketing strategy should be fired because they very well may have destroyed what in Marketing 101 was referred to as a CASH COW.