A newly released Bud Light commercial featuring comedian Shane Gillis is getting positive feedback from viewers as it subtly targets edgy, progressive advertising and champions the common man.
The ad spot is called “Wrong Commercial.” In it, Gillis poses as a regular guy who was scheduled to be in a beer commercial at a bar but instead finds himself in an over-the-top artistic perfume ad shot in black and white — which also features a model holding a snake and a rock star guitarist trying to hand him a fistful of sand.
Gillis reacts as any normal person would, questioning his co-stars with one-liner quips, until the camera cuts to the alt-rock character who was supposed to appear in the perfume ad sitting in a bar enjoying a plate of wings and a Bud Light.
Gillis has become the new face of Bud Light. The controversial comedian is best known for being fired from “Saturday Night Live” in 2019 after decades-old comments he made were deemed “offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable.” He returned to host the sketch comedy show in February 2024. Gillis has been described as politically moderate, which makes him appealing to conservatives in the leftist-dominated comedy space. He’s known for making jokes about both sides.
The new Bud Light ad wouldn’t have been noteworthy years ago when the beer brand was known for clever advertising. But everything appears different in the wake of the Bud Light scandal that led to the biggest successful conservative boycott ever. Former Anheuser-Busch VP Alissa Heinerscheid decided that Bud Light’s image was “fratty” and “out of touch.” This led to the brand sending a promotional can to trans-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney, who publicized it on social media.
The resulting backlash cost the brand more than $1 billion in lost revenue and lost them their title as best-selling beer. The Bud Light debacle is considered one of the worst marketing fiascos in history.
Now as they work to rebuild the brand, this commercial appears to mock woke advertising. It was released the same week as the brand re-launch of Jaguar, which is being scorned for being overly pretentious and most crucially, for not having any cars in it.
Reactions to the “Wrong Commercial” are mostly positive, though many fans say it’s not enough to overcome Bud Light’s past sins.
“Big fan of Shane. There may be redemption in your future,” one commenter wrote.
“Pretty good. Probably should have shaved 10 seconds off it. You want people to enjoy it and feel a tinge of nostalgia but not linger too long on why they rejected you. I give it 7/10. But you need to keep doing better to win back your base,” another person wrote.
“I see your [sic] trying Bud Lite and I appreciate it,” a third person said.