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Provocative Bud Light Campaign Doesn't Concern National Park Service, National Park Foundation

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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

Wonderful letter Lee. I could not have said this any better. Thank you so much. I will send a similiar letter to Director Jarvis but based on past experience I will not expect a reply.

 

 


During my years as an ER nurse we had a term for a large class of assault victims - a "2-5-I". It came from the standard "explanation"  --- "I only had two beers" ..."there were about five guys there" ... "and I was just standing there!"


A few weeks ago, a plane went down in France. Horrified, we learned that the co-pilot deliberately crashed it. How many people were killed? "Relative" to the population of Europe, not many. But what if YOU or a loved one had been on that plane?

That is how we properly look at statistics. In the airline industry, passengers are referred to as "souls." When our National Park Service starts referring to visitors as anything less than that, you know there is a problem. Every "soul" in the national parks is important. That they perhaps die in "predictable" numbers is not to say we should want any to die.

We have no "official" firearm of the national parks, do we? Official car or motor home? Official potato chip? Official salsa? Official (put your product name here)? Then why are we suddenly allowing alcohol "official" status? It absolutely makes no sense.

EC is right, of course. We don't penalize the responsible users of any product, provided it is legal. But where he misses the boat--and where the Park Service goes down with the ship--is in the suggestion that legal makes everything right. My mother made the point with the expression "dead right." "Al, the speed limit may say 70, but if it is raining or snowing, going 70 may make you dead right."

Once again, the Park Service has proved itself "dead right." It went the speed limit and crashed into the wall. It made light--in this case Bud Light--of what we expect our government to do. It did the legal thing, but it forgot to do the right thing. And is that not the common tragedy of our times?

 


That is how we properly look at statistics.

No it is not.  If it were, we wouldn't be driving cars, we wouldn't be riding in planes, we wouldn't bicycle, swim, ski, .......  We educate and try to economicily reduce the risk but we don't avoid the behavior.  Who are you (generic you) to say living to 80 without drinking is a better life than enjoying alcohol and dying at 70 with liver failure?  You can make that choice and I won't interfere but I would rather die early enjoying life than live forever in a bubble.

is in the suggestion that legal makes everything right.

 I have made the point several times that is not the case and certainly haven't made that the basis of my justification here.


Associating the parks with really crappy beer is the true crime here, especially when we have so many good craft beers.  ;)

 


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