“Well this is awkward,” stated sponsor Budweiser’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, before swiftly deleting the post.

Though its marketing team was blindsided, with help from agency Wieden + Kennedy, the AB InBev-owned brand quickly pivoted to tongue-in-cheek marketing to navigate the ban, delivering a Cannes Lions-winning push to “Bring Home the Bud” back to the U.S.

In early November, over 18 months after a boycott of its Bud Light brand hit sales hard, AB InBev revealed it had turned a financial corner.

In Apr. 2023, the brand lost its position as America’s number-one beer following controversy over a campaign with transgender influencer Dyan Mulvaney and the subsequent fallout from customers on the right and left of the political spectrum.

The impact was a reverse halo effect on Budweiser’s brand perception, which hit a downward trajectory as sales of sister brand Bud Light slid.

However, in its most recent earnings call, the Belgium-based brewer recorded revenues of $15.57 billion, up from $15.04 billion versus the same period in 2023. The business credited stabilization in the U.S. market for the shift.