NEW YORK — Budweiser created a stir on social media Tuesday over a slogan on a Bud Light beer bottle.
The slogan, which is a part of the company’s #UpForWhatever campaign, appears on the bottle’s label and reads: “The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night.”
The photo was first posted on Reddit on Monday night, but soon spread all over social media where many accused the slogan of promoting rape culture.
Soon after the outcry, Anheuser-Busch released a statement apologizing for slogan.
“The Bud Light Up for Whatever campaign, now in its second year, has inspired millions of consumers to engage with our brand in a positive and light-hearted way,” Alexander Lambrecht, vice president of Bud Light, said on the company’s website. “In this spirit, we created more than 140 different scroll messages intended to encourage spontaneous fun. It’s clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it.”
Lembrecht also added that the company “would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior.”
On Tuesday, many on Twitter used #UpForWhatever to take shots at the company.
“I’m not #UpForWhatever if #UpForWhatever means a lack of consent and rape, sorry beer bros,” tweeted Twitter user Miranda Nelson.
I'm not #UpForWhatever if #UpForWhatever means a lack of consent and rape, sorry beer bros
— Miranda Nelson (@charenton_) April 28, 2015
This is not the first time that Bud Light has run into trouble with its #UpForWhatever campaign, however.
In March, Bud Light stirred controversy when the company’s Twitter account sent out a tweet on St. Patrick’s Day that some felt played down sexual consent.
“On #StPatrickDay you can pinch people who don’t wear green. You can also pinch people who aren’t #UpForWhatever,” the tweet read.
Bud Light apologizes for message that critics said endorsed rape http://t.co/2UbnTn5Tcj pic.twitter.com/FZKpbb3s8Q
— Bloomberg (@business) April 28, 2015
https://twitter.com/rachelzarrell/status/593113349631643648
. @budlight backpedals over "removing no" beer label. http://t.co/hhiNdCGoJ1 via @usatoday CC @BarrettAll pic.twitter.com/Wn3CW6RKBM
— Trevor Hughes (@TrevorHughes) April 28, 2015
"No" means "up for whatever," according to Bud Light http://t.co/ZDw9KzY5qd pic.twitter.com/5iStTj4G3t
— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) April 28, 2015