Anheuser-Busch CEO: Bud Light should be bringing people together

E. JEAN CARROLL LAYERS IS THE FORMER PRESIDENT SIMPLY TRYING TO DENY ACCOUNTABILITY. >>> ANHEUSER-BUSCH IS WORKING HARD TO WIN BACK CUSTOMERS. BUD LIGHT TUMBLED AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA STAR, DYLAN MULVANEY POSTED A VIDEO SHOWING THE PERSONALIZED LIGHT CANS. THE COMPANY CENTER AS PART OF AN ONLINE PROMOTION. ANHEUSER-BUSCH U.S. CEO, BRENDAN WHITWORTH SPOKE ABOUT THE CONTROVERSY IN AN INTERVIEW ON CBS MORNINGS. IS HE MAKE IT HAS BEEN

WHAT BRENDAN WHITWORTH TOLD US ABOUT THE FEEDBACK THAT HE'S TAKING AWAY FROM THIS CONTROVERSY. TWO >> THE FEEDBACK IS TO REINFORCE WHAT HEADLIGHT HAS ALWAYS MEANT TO THEM, WHICH IS GOOD TIMES, GOOD WILL, AND EASY ENJOYMENT. WE HAVE THAT ALL PACKED INSIDE OF OUR SUMMER CAMPAIGN THAT WE LAUNCHED LAST WEEK. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NFL. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NFL

CAMPAIGN. THAT WILL BE OUT IN A FEW WEEKS. THE FACT REMAINS THAT MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF CONSUMERS ENJOY BUD LIGHT EACH AND EVERY DAY. >> HE TALKS ABOUT HOW HE WANTS BUD LIGHT BE PURSUED. THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS IN THE ANSWER HE GAVE, IT HAD TO DO WITH IN THE PAST, ANHEUSER-BUSCH DID SUPPORT L.G.B.T.Q. PLUS FOLKS. IN 2019, THEY WERE VERY PROMINENT TO DISPLAY RAINBOW

FLAG BOTTLES. IN OTHER WORDS, RAINBOW BOTTLES FOR ALL OF PRIDE MONTH. THEY SOLD THEM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. HE SAYS HOW DO YOU MARRY THAT SUPPORTS THAT THEY SAY THEY HAVE, WITH THE PHOTO THAT THEY HAD TO L.G.B.T.Q. PLUS PRIDE WITH THE POLITICAL ARM OF ANHEUSER-BUSCH DONATING TO ANTI-L.G.B.T.Q. CANDIDATES AND POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS. THE QUESTION IS, HOW DOES A COMPANY NAVIGATE THAT? THEY DON'T EXPECT THE BLOWBACK,

FOR SOMETHING THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST TO BE WHAT IT WAS? >> WE HAVE SEEN ANHEUSER-BUSCH AND BUD LIGHT SPENT A LOT OF ENERGY TRYING TO REACH GENERATIONS HE. THEY WANT BRANDS TO BE INCLUSIVE. THEY WANT BRANDS TO SHOW DIVERSITY IN THEIR MARKETING. THIS INCIDENT SHOWS FOR BUD LIGHT, THIS IS A STARK REMINDER TO THEM, THAT THE MAJORITY OR BIG PART OF THEIR CONSUMER BASE DOES

NOT WANT THEM TO GO INTO THAT TERRITORY. THAT IS THE BINDER THEY ARE IN. THAT CAME ACROSS DURING THIS INTERVIEW. THEY'RE TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THAT NOW AND TALK ABOUT THE BEER. CAN THEY DO THAT IN A WAY THAT CHANGES THE CONVERSATION? THAT IS THE QUESTION. >> WHAT ARE THE ADS THAT WORKED FOR THEM IN THE PAST? IT SEEMS LIKE WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO

IS DOUBLE DOWN ON WHAT THEY HAVE DONE BEFORE. THEY ARE NOT IN THE SAME POSITION ANYMORE. >> THEY ARE NOT IN THE SAME POSITION. THE MARKETING INDUSTRY IS IN A DIFFERENT POSITION. GRANTS FOR YEARS, THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, YOU TRIED MICRO TARGET. HE WAS IN A BROAD-BASED MESSAGE ON A TV AD, BUT THEN SPEAK TO A SPECIFIC COMMUNITY ON YOUR TWITTER HANDLE. WHAT WE ARE SEEING

NOW, EVERYONE SEES EVERYTHING. THAT IS HOW THEY GOT IN TROUBLE HERE. THE FANS, THE DRINKERS THAT SAW THE INSTAGRAM POSTS FROM THE TRANSGENDER INFLUENCER, SOME OF THEM DID NOT LIKE THAT. IT BECAME A MAJOR STORY. IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHAT THEY DO WITH THE REST OF THE MARKETING. PEOPLE ARE FIXATED ON THAT. >> HE DID SAY AND REITERATE THAT THE COMPANY DOES SUPPORT L.G.B.T.Q. PLUS OF

PEOPLE. IT'S INTERESTING, WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING HERE, YOU'RE TRYING TO THREAD THE NEEDLE. ON ONE HAND, THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT A VERY VOCAL GROUP OF THEIR CONSUMERS. THE QUESTION IS, NOT ONLY ARE THERE CONSUMERS THAT WANT THEM TO TAKE A STAND, ONE POINT, TONY ASKED THEM, LOOK, HE SAYS HE DID NOT KNOW THAT THIS CAMPAIGN WAS HAPPENING. THAT IS EXPECTED. HE IS THE CEO. NOT EVERY

LITTLE CAMPAIGN AND MARKETING DETAIL WILL COME ACROSS HIS DESK. THE QUESTION IS, IF YOU HAD KNOWN, WOULD YOU HAVE STOPPED IT? OR WOULD YOU HAVE GIVEN IT THE GREEN LIGHT? HE WOULD NOT ANSWER THAT. WHAT YOU MAKE OF THAT? >> IT SHOWS EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF A TOUGH POSITIO HE IS IN. HE IS WHATEVER ANSWER HE GIVES ON THAT. ONE SIDE OF THE POLITICAL AISLE WILL

NOT LIKE IT . HE IS TRY TO THREAD THE NEEDLE. WE ARE TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE CONVERSATION BY SHIFTING THE CONVERSATION, AS WE HAVE SEEN WITH THE NEW AD THEY PUT OUT TODAY THAT YOU SHOWED A BIT OF, TALKING ABOUT THEIR EMPLOYEES AND DISTRIBUTORS, PEOPLE OT IN THE HEARTLAND OF AMERICA. THAT IS HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO CHANGE THE CONVERSATION NOW. >> WANT TO

ASK YOU, AND UMBRELLA QUESTION. YES, BUD LIGHT, THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR BUD LIGHT. WE'VE SEEN OTHER BRANDS HAVE TO NAVIGATE THIS. TARGET, THEY PUT SOME OF THE ITEMS IN THE BACK OF THE STORE. THEY SAID IT'S ABOUT KEEPING OUR EMPLOYEES SAFE. THEY DID NOT TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT DIDN'T TALK ABOUT WHERE THEY WERE SOCIALLY. YOU POINT OUT, YOUNGER PEOPLE WANT BRANDS TO TAKE

A STAND. WHAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE PAST, 10 YEARS OR SO, BEAUTY BRANDS EMBRACING DIVERSITY. YOU HAVE VICTORIA'S SECRET HAD TO CHANGE THE MODELS THAT THEY USED BECAUSE PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE THIS. THE WAY PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT TOPICS CAN CLEARLY CHANGE FROM ONE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION TO ANOTHER, OR WHATEVER. CAN YOU TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BRANDS THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED THIS DELICATE BALANCE?

>> Reporter: IT DEPENDS ON THE CATEGORY. I THINK SOME OF THE BEAUTY BRANDS YOU MENTIONED HAVE A BIT MORE LICENSE TO SPEAK ABOUT SOME OF THESE THINGS. HISTORICALLY, THEY HAVE BEEN IN THAT POSITION. DOV, HAS TALKED ABOUT REAL BEAUTY AND GETTING BEYOND SUPERFICIAL BEAUTY. THE BEER CATEGORY IS DIFFERENT. IT IS STILL AN INDUSTRY THAT IS DISPERSED ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH DISTRIBUTORS IN EVERY SMALL TOWN IN

AMERICA. THE POLITICS ARE VERY DIFFERENT. THEY ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS. WE HAVE SEEN WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO NOW IS HELP SOME OF THE DISTRIBUTORS THAT HAVE BEEN TARGETED BECAUSE OF THIS ONE SINGLE SOCIAL MEDIA POST. THEY HAVE GIVEN THEM FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. THERE BENDING OVER BACKWARDS TO TRY TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT WITH THESE GROUPS. >> MAYBE THE THING IS, YOUNG PEOPLE WANT

BUSINESSES AND COMPANIES AND BRANDS TO TAKE SOME SORT OF SOCIAL STAND, BUT MAYBE NOT EVERY COMPANY OR PRODUCT. NOT EVERY COMPANY OR PRODUCT HAS AN AUDIENCE THAT WANTS THAT. MAYBE IT'S MORE ABOUT THE PRODUCT THAN THE ISSUE. >> THAT IS INTERESTING. >> MAYBE THEY JUST WANT TO CALL BEER AND KEEP POLITICS OUT OF IT. >> IF YOU ARE TAKING A STAND, HAS TO LINK BACK TO

THE PRODUCT IN SOME WAY. WE ARE SEEING BUD LIGHT NOW, PUTTING BEER BACK INTO THE POSITION OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER. HAD THAT BEEN THERE INITIAL RESPONSE TO THIS, THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN A BETTER POSITION TODAY. THEY SAID, LISTEN, WE ARE A BEER FOR EVERYONE, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE. IF THAT WAS THE INITIAL RISK, RATHER THAN JUST GOING SILENT FOR