A risqué Bud Light campaign that critics said encouraged a culture of rape is not prompting the National Park Service or National Park Foundation to reconsider their centennial partnership with Anheuser-Busch.
The campaign, #Upforwhatever,” employed dozens of slogans intended to get drinkers to enjoy life while drinking Bud Light. One of the slogans called Bud Light "the perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night.”
On Wednesday, stories in the New York Times and Washington Post as well as other outlets reported on it, along with apologies from Bud for the insensitivity of that particular slogan. Critics on social media said the slogan was promoting rape.
In email responses to the Traveler about the impact of that issue on the Budweiser partnership, officials for the Park Service and Park Foundation said they were unconcerned about any fallout on their relationship with the beermaker.
"The Bud Light campaign is not connected to Find Your Park in any way. The Find Your Park campaign is well-aligned with Anheuser-Busch's charitable focus on education, the environment, economic development, disaster relief and military personnel," Park Service spokeswoman April Slayton said.
At the Park Foundation, interim President Dan Wenk said there were no plans to review the partnership, which required a waiver of Park Service regulations prohibiting campaigns that took donations from alcoholic beverage companies to execute.
"As with all corporate partnerships entered into by the National Park Foundation, identifying partners for the Find Your Park public engagement and education campaign was a thoughtful process executed jointly by NPF and NPS," Mr. Wenk said in an email late Wednesday evening. "In the consideration process, Budweiser’s commitment to corporate social responsibility was very apparent. They have done ample work preserving and protecting the environment and supporting local communities, and their philanthropic focus aligned well with the current needs of the national parks. As with any partnership, the relationship will be evaluated by all involved parties at the end of the contract terms."
Budweiser officials did not respond to Traveler inquiries.
The Budweiser partnership, which is expected to feature outdoor concerts at the Statue of Liberty National Monument in New Jersey and Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California and possibly the National Mall in Washington, generated dozens of comments on Traveler's Facebook page, many of them opposing the deal.
"Really bad idea for an agency promoting healthy enjoyment of the outdoors. There should be no promotion of drinking alcohol when hazardous environments are involved. I would hate to think of what may have happened to the rock climbers we watched in Black Canyon of the Gunnison last fall had they stopped for a Bud! Or to those foolish enough to think they can do a Grand Canyon rim to rim hike in a day with a Bud break at the bottom," wrote Karen Carney. "From a pragmatic standpoint I can understand why NPS/NPF would be tempted to accept large sums from AB, but allowing them to use the National Parks in branding in promotion is a BIG mistake IMHO."
Ms. Carney also pointed to the Bud Light slogan and the bad image is created.
"Great idea!," added Ian Billings. "How about a big Bud Light billboard at Old Faithful! Or maybe a McDonald's drive-thru window under Delicate Arch! Ohhh, ohhhh, and am I the only one who wants a Walmart Supercenter in the Redwood Forest?! Didn't think so! More corporate sponsors, please!"
But others pointed to the financial needs of the Park Service and doubted that all of a sudden Budweiser banners would proliferate in the parks. (However, there are expected to be banners that carry the logos of the main corporate sponsors of the centennial -- Budweiser, American Express, REI, Subaru, and Humana.)
"Why not? I'm not going to walk in Yosemite Valley and think 'this is brought to me by Budweiser'!," said David Bristow. "It also isn't going to get me to buy their product. But maybe with the funds they give to our national parks, those treasures can be better maintained and preserved, as well as enjoyed by more people."
At Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, officials called the partnership " a misguided means of reaching out to youth and broadening public support for parks."
“Once it has gotten into bed with its corporate partner, the Park Service cannot pick and choose which market messaging it will embrace and which it will ignore,” said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting that the agreement is part of an effort by NPS to raise a $1 billion corporate endowment by its upcoming 2016 centennial. “It is both telling and troubling that the current Park Service leadership sees its core values best reflected in beer ads.”
Comments
I'm afraid we are already sliding rapidly down that infamous slippery slope of lubricated money. When dollars take priority over other values, we all lose.
Removing "NO" from the vocabulary for the night doesn't only include rape. There's drunk driving among just a few thousand other possible bits of alcohol enhanced stupidity.
But of course, none of this will influence the National Park Foundation where one of their directors is a bigwig in the AB beverage business.
That's why I believe the National Parks Conservation Association is the best choice of major NPS partners and why all of my financial support goes to them. How about others among us contacting NPF with some loud objections? If they receive enough backlash, they might reconsider. (But based on past experiences, I doubt it.)
Thank you for your reporting Traveler and thank you Lee, I could not agree more. I attended a function where the issue of the Bud advertising slogan on this National Park F a oundation campaign was raised, very negative reaction to it. "PEER" laid it out very well.
As long as we keep electing representatives that would rather spend money on wars than parks, the park service is going to have to continue to accept grants wherever they can get them.
I serously doubt that anyone is going to skip going to a National Park over this. There may be a bunch of yelling and screeming and appoligies from AB but in the end it probably won't affect the park much and certainly won't affect it as much as turning down the money would.
"A risqué Bud Light campaign that critics said encouraged a culture of rape "
It is hard for me to get past rediculous aqusations like this and while it may serve the purpose of getting a headline, it distracts from the real issues and for me greatly diminishes any arguments used after that.
Speaking as a former nurse who has had to care for rape victims, I don't find calling an alcohol campaign that promises to ignore no to be 'encouraging a culture of rape' to be a 'rediculous' [sic] 'aqusation' [sic].
"The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night.”
Removing "no" from too many individual's vocabulary is, of course, at the root of many problems today, and that includes doing something stupid during a park trip due to the influence of alcohol. It's always sad to read about a serious incident or death in a park, when the commentary includes the words, "alcohol was believed to be a factor..."
Perhaps AB needs to modify their "drink responsibly" pitch to "advertise responsibly."
If rape is too offensive then you may want to cover your ears. Because that is precisely what Jarvis is doing with public lands. Whoring them out to the highest bidder. Morals are great, unless they apply to the beloved NPS. Hypocrites.
I enjoy venting as much as the next person, but the deeper issue still remains: This is our culture. This is what we have become. If you don't want your Park Service "selling out," how might you better--and far more effectively --get your message across?
By now, everyone should be writing his or her representatives in the U.S. Congress. To be effective, every letter should begin with the proper heading: "The Honorable Patty Murray." Then keep it short. "Dear Senator Murray: Have you watched what is going on at the National Park Service, in conjunction with the National Park Foundation and Budweiser? Are you aware that our appointed officials are promoting alcohol consumption--using our parks? As my elected official, I take exception to that, and expect you to take exception, too. I would even support abolishing the National Park Foundation if that is the best the foundation can do. Thank you for attention to this matter. Sincerely, Your Constituent."
Make it a letter--and send it snail mail. E-mail is answered by clerks. Letters get read--and passed along. There is nothing more powerful than paper.
Here is another secret. Every letter INDIVIDUALLY written is considered the equivalent of 2,000 opinions. A letter-writing campaign is a waste, but yes, a letter from you--speaking from the heart--will be viewed by your senator and/or representative as the equivalent of 2,000 voters.
That is what the Foundation and the Park Service hope you will not get around to do. They hope you will just vent on these pages, and the problem will blow away. In the past, you have spoken out against the Koch Brothers--and their alleged control of Congress--but YOU are the one in real control. You just don't know it, because they don't want you to do anything. That is what they are spending their money on, as will others be betting that their umpteen millions will be able to "buy" your vote next year.
Prove them wrong and write your letter. And don't worry about the "reply" you get. It will be noncommittal. "Dear Mr. Smith, Thank you for writing. The senator always loves hearing from you!" No, she doesn't. She really dreads it, because now you the voter have taken a stand. I want my national parks this way, not "their" way. And I want them protecting the best of America from now on.
Meanwhile, I just love what Dan Wenk says about the "thoughtful process executed jointly by NPF and NPS." Here again, we see an adjective, in this case "thoughful," intended to mask a decision that was anything but. People with nothing to hide never have to resort to adjectives. That Mr. Wenk is using a ton of them tells us everything we need to know. Now, write your letter and don't forget the stamp.