For International Women’s Day this year, Budweiser decided to revisit three of their advertisements from the 50s and 60s. Each of the ads focused on outdated ideas that objectified women, showing them in subservient roles to their husbands.
While Anheuser-Busch, the company that produces Budweiser beer might not be proud of this time in the company’s history, it is working towards modernizing their image. To this end, the company has reimagined three particularly sexist ads from that era to be more in line with current ideals., relying on three women illustrators — Heather Landis, Nicole Evans and Dena Cooper — for this project.
Whether the effort succeeded or not is left up to the individual to decide. Here are the three before and after ads in all of their glory.
1962
The first ad, dating from 1962, shows a smiling wife making dinner for her husband and pouring a beer for her husband while he waits. The ad even reads, “Big appetite… dinner’s almost ready and it sure smells good. Loosen your tie and enjoy your Budweiser,” implying that the husband relaxes after getting home while his wife serves him.
2019
The follow-up ad depicts a woman at home getting ready to enjoy her favorite takeout with a cold Budweiser beer. The ad text reads, “It’s Friday, your favorite takeout just got here. Crack open a cold Bud and enjoy some time to yourself.” No longer is she busy trying to provide dinner for her husband while he relaxes, but is instead set to enjoy the evening for herself.
1958
The ad from 1958 is a depiction of a husband taking a break from working in the home while his wife pours him a beer. The tag line for the ad reads, “Where there’s life… there’s Bud.” This ad was homage to the husband who is working around the home to keep it up, thus providing a home for the family, while his devoted wife serves him, by fulfilling her role as homemaker.
2019
The updated 1958 ad shows a husband and wife sitting together among some moving boxes, eating a pizza, and drinking some Budweiser beer. Like the original ad, the tag line for this one is, “Where there’s life… there’s Bud.” It also has the additional tag line of, “Home is where life happens. And life happens when you build it together.” This goes to show that a marriage is a partnership and not one sided.
1956
The final ad, from 1956, shows a wife in her wedding dress with her husband waiting for her at the car. The slogan reads, “She found she married two men.” It also has a brief description of how a wife has to plan to make her husband happy, especially by serving him some Budweiser beer with the meals she makes for him.
2019
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The follow-up ad is more empowering to women as it proclaims, “She found she has it all.” This alludes to the fact that a woman is not defined by the man she married, or didn’t, but that all she really needs in life to be fulfilled is friends and family who accept her for who she is.
Anheuser-Busch has partnered with the Association of National Advertisers and their #SeeHer initiative to make the changes. To implement the project, the company collaborated with the VaynerMedia agency in seeking to change some of its outdated ads to conform better with the updated ideals of the modern age. An age where a woman is not identified by the man she is with, but by her own abilities.
