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   From: transheuser-busch@gmail.com   
      
   Keep your gay enabling values to yourself.   
      
   Heineken’s chief executive says the company has learned lessons from the   
   social media controversy around a campaign for rival beer Bud Light — but   
   still believes businesses should stand up for their “values.”   
      
   “Particularly in the Western world, we do see a lot of polarization in   
   society. And that’s affecting all players, all actors in society, also   
   businesses and also brands,” Dolf van den Brink told CNBC’s “Squawk Box   
   Europe.”   
      
   “You have to be thoughtful, you have to be balanced. And at the same time,   
   you need to stand for your values and your principles. And we try to do   
   that to the best of of our abilities,” he said. “So far, I’m proud of how   
   our brand teams across our operating companies are navigating this new   
   world.”   
      
   Van den Brink was speaking to CNBC after Heineken   
    on Monday cut its 2023 profit growth forecast. The brewer reported a 5.6%   
   decline in beer sales and an 8.8% like-for-like fall in operating profit,   
   coming in below a company-compiled consensus forecast.   
      
   “We always knew the first half of the year would all be about the   
   inflationary pressures on our input costs, particularly in Europe, which   
   is an important region to us,” van den Brink said Monday.   
      
   “We front-loaded the year with pricing, as such we expected some volume   
   softness in the beginning of the year. Overall we are quite happy with our   
   strong revenue growth, we grew revenue between nine and 10% in 3 out of 4   
   regions.”   
      
   In a note, analysts at RBC Europe called the results the “worst set ...   
   we’ve had so far,” highlighting the forecast misses in the Americas and   
   Europe and significant challenges in Asia supply chains and sales.   
      
   Van den Brink said that advertising remained crucial in a challenging   
   market environment, and that it had increased marketing spend by 200   
   million euros ($221 million) in the first half.   
      
   It comes after Bud Light, owned by Heineken’s Belgian rival Anheuser-Busch   
   InBev, lost its spot as the top-selling beer in the U.S. in May, after   
   conservatives boycotted the brand following a brief product placement deal   
   with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light sales   
   fell 24.6% in the period year on year, according to NielsenIQ data from   
   consulting firm Bump Williams.   
      
   AB InBev is scheduled to report its second-quarter results on Thursday.   
   The furor has garnered political attention, with Republican Florida Gov.   
   Ron DeSantis calling for a probe into whether the company breached its   
   duties to shareholders.   
      
   AB InBev has also been criticized for failing to stand behind Mulvaney,   
   amid wider debate over whether corporations will continue to back social   
   or political causes. Industry groups including Outvertising have called on   
   brands not to back away from campaigns and partnerships supportive of the   
   LGBTQ+ community over fears of a similar backlash.   
      
   https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/31/heineken-ceo-on-bud-light-campaign-you-   
   have-to-stand-for-your-values.html   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)