Bud Light Nixes Ill-Considered Slogan After Accusations Of Promoting Rape Culture

Karen Lo|

Anheuser-Busch InBev has retracted the latest slogan for Bud Light's "Up for Whatever" campaign of two years after the label drew considerable outrage from its audience, a reaction made especially clear on social media.

The slogan, "The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night," was quickly the subject of much buzz on Twitter and Facebook, with many accusing the company of condoning date rape culture.

"No means no," one person wrote on Twitter. "This ad perpetuates rape culture and we're #NotBuyingIt." 

Nita Lowey, a congresswoman from New York, pointed out that the label also managed to downplay the need for responsible alcohol consumption.

"This grossly shortsighted marketing tactic shows an epic lack of understanding of the dangers associated with excessive alcohol consumption, such as sexual assault and drunk driving," Lowey wrote in an email to The New York Times. "We need responsible companies to help us tackle these serious public health and safety problems, not encourage them."

In a statement, Bud Light vice president Alexander Lambrecht acknowledged that the slogan was poorly planned.

"It's clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it," said Lambrecht. 

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