Bud Light released a new 15-second ad spot ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend featuring Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, one of the beer brand’s first ads since its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
In the ad titled “Backyard Grunts,” posted to YouTube on Sunday, a series of men sit down in their backyards and crack open Bud Light cans while grunting.
Kelce, who has been somewhat of a media darling this offseason, is the star of the commercial.
It’s a big move for the beer brand, which has been embroiled in controversy since partnering with Mulvaney in April, facing heavy backlash from conservative groups and politicians.
The Post reported in June that the company lost over $27 billion in market cap since partnering with Mulvaney.
Bud Light has publicly stayed quiet about the controversy, and Anheuser-Busch recently denied a report they fired a top marketing executive in wake of the failed partnership.
By partnering with Kelce, the company clearly wants to win back some of the demographic they’ve lost in the last three months.
The star tight end has been having quite the offseason after winning the Super Bowl with the Chiefs in February.
In March, Kelce hosted “Saturday Night Live,” following in the footsteps of fellow NFL champions Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Tom Brady.
Last week, he participated in the latest iteration of “The Match,” pairing up with Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes for a golf match against Golden State Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
