Last Call for Bud Lite | Mike Rowe

Mike Rowe: Maybe it’s because of the business I’m in, or maybe it’s because I’ve been boycotted myself on several occasions. Or maybe it’s just because I used to drink a lot of beer.
Whatever the reason, I’ve been fascinated by the demise of Bud Lite, and the way in which one of America’s most enduring brands managed to destroy decades of good will with a single, boneheaded decision, followed by a complete unwillingness to fix it.
What a story.
Spoiler Alert - what happened at Bud Lite was not unique to Anheuser Busch.
Over the last decade or so, dozens of companies and corporations have slowly abandoned their commitment to building “shareholder value” in favor of building something called “stakeholder value.” Specifically, with stakeholders like Blackrock, State Street, and Vanguard.
Known as The Big Three, these massive institutional investors manage over $20 trillion of American wealth, some of which is almost certainly in your IRA or 401K.
They have also led the charge to elevate a long list of causes that focus on DEI, (diversity, equity and inclusion,) and more significantly ESG, (Environmental Social Governance.)
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This week, I sit down with Anson Frericks, a former executive at Bud Lite who had a front row seat to the events that led to one of the greatest marketing disasters in modern history.
His new book, Last Call for Bud Lite, is fantastic, and our conversation, modesty aside, is absolutely worth your time. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube at https://bit.ly/40KVGsT

https://x.com/i/status/1887287046345269749

Full episode:
https://rumble.com/v6hfggv-a-masterclass-in-the-collapse-of-woke-culture-with-anson-frericks.html