Fearing a repeat of Bud Light, U.K. government tells business leaders to stay away from politics and 'woke' culture wars

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fearing-repeat-bud-light-u-150243309.html

Businesses are taking a stand on hot-button issues in an effort to appeal
to younger consumers—but as U.S. beer brewer Anheuser-Busch will attest,
this has landed them in hot water in the process.

The U.K. government's second highest ranking Treasury official is now
warning companies to steer clear from "woke" politics lest they wind up in
the crossfire of the culture wars right next to the Bud light parent. It
lost nearly $400 million in sales last quarter following a promotion its
once popular lager held with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in
April.

"We’ve seen what can happen in recent months. Think of that U.S. beer
brand, where consumers reacted rather differently than was anticipated,”
said John Glen, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, in an interview with
liberal conservative think tank Bright Blue published earlier this week.

Glen argued the majority of the country wants businesses to simply provide
good value for money, and must avoid going down a “checklist of things” to
make sure they are on the right side of a social or cultural discussion.

“I’m uncomfortable, instinctively, to see big businesses appropriating the
views of their customers to make a political point," he said. "If they
want to get into politics, then stand for election."

Pushback against the "woke" narrative has been characteristic of Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak's leadership. In the past, the Conservative Party
leader has emphasized that biological sex is “fundamentally important” in
the debate surrounding an equality law in the U.K. which has provided
important protections to members in the trans community.

The louder "anti-woke" stance, including wanting companies to strictly
keep to business instead of addressing social issues, could be part of an
effort by Sunak's government to bolster conservative support ahead of the
next general election expected to be held next year. Sunak's Tories trails
the Labour Party heavily following numerous scandals and missteps and
could find themselves swept from power in a wipeout unless they take
mobilize their base.

Brands like Dr. Martens and Costa Coffee walking a tightrope
Glen made his comments just weeks after well-known British brands like
coffee chain Costa Coffee and shoe-maker Dr. Martens have been tangled in
controversy over representing transgender characters in their advertising
efforts.

In Costa’s case, a mural of a transgender person with scars from
mastectomies for gender affirmation, also known as “top surgery”, began
circulating on social media. Criticism and calls for boycott picked up as
people slammed the ad for sending the wrong message to young girls and
glamorizing a surgical procedure.

Costa didn’t immediately return Fortune’s request for comment.

London-based Dr. Martens also had a similar illustration printed on a pair
of “queer joy” boots as part of a one-off give away designed by American
artist Jess Vosseteig. The company posted about the boots via the
Instagram account of its U.S. affiliate in late July, and received a
barrage of comments from anti-trans users.

“This pair reflects the artist’s style expression as an illustrator and
member of the LGBTQIA+ community,” a Dr. Martens spokesperson told
Fortune.

“We have always embraced diversity in the Dr. Martens community. We’re
proud to support our team and our wearers, and to continue to support
creativity and freedom of expression.”

The examples of Bud Light, Costa and Dr. Martens reflect the tricky
balance that brands have to strike to reach their consumers, who demand
greater diversity and inclusivity.

According to Anthony Chapman, co-founder at creative branding agency
Fellow Studio, the challenge in avoiding controversy is to ensure any
message remains authentic to a brand’s core values.

“To mitigate potential backlash, brands should ensure that their stance
aligns with their core values and brand identity,” Chapman told Fortune.
“It's important for brands to recognize that consumers are not only
looking for products or services but also seeking a connection with
companies that share their values.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com


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We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.