It’s January 2022, and Pabst Blue Ribbon sends out the tweet heard around the world:

“Not drinking this January? Try eating ass!”

The vulgar tweet explodes, grabbing mainstream media attention and sparking conversations among PBR fans. For a day, PBR becomes the main character on what was then Twitter (now X: The Everything App™). And while most brands would sell their souls for this level of cultural relevance, the conservative-leaning farmers who supplied Pabst with hops were less than thrilled. Some even threatened to sever ties with the brewer over the tweet—a potentially catastrophic fallout.

In response, PBR issued a mea culpa, and the once-active brand went dark across all platforms. But thanks to an existing relationship from prior work on Rainier (aka Lone Star Beer for lumberjacks), DNA secured a spot as PBR’s new social agency.

That’s how I became Pabst Blue Ribbon’s social media manager, joining a team at DNA tasked with steering the brand back on course. Our challenge? Developing content that balanced an irreverent, IDGAF attitude with a strictly PG-13 level of crudeness—walking the fine line between bold and brand-safe.

Spoiler alert: We knocked it out of the park, crafting a new “Chaotic Good” brand persona that led to some of PBR’s best-performing content in years.