Bud Light stands by LGBTQ partnerships 3 months into boycott

Jun 30, 2023

Karah Rucker Reporter/Producer

By Karah Rucker (Reporter/Producer), Stacey Chamberlain (Digital Producer)

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Back in April, the media predicted that Bud Light would bounce back from boycotts following its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. They were wrong. Three months later, the boycott is still going strong.

Bud Light sales continue to reach weekly lows. On June 17, sales were down 28%, which is a record low.

In April, Mulvaney posted a video promoting cans of Bud Light. That triggered Kid Rock to post another video of him shooting at full cans of the beer. It began a protest of Bud Light which was America’s No. 1 beer at the time. In May, Modelo was crowned the No. 1 beer in America.

Now, for the first time since the boycott began, Mulvaney released a video saying Bud Light never reached out following the viral advertisement.

“I should’ve made this video months ago but I didn’t, I was scared. Scared of more backlash. For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all,” Mulvaney said in the video statement.

Friday, June 30, Bud Light offered a response to Mulvaney’s recent video.

“We remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community,” the company said in a statement.

Anheuser-Busch is now in a difficult position. The boycott first began because a largely conservative group of beer drinkers believe Bud Light shouldn’t serve social ideologies with its beer.

On the other side, transgender communities and advocates believe Bud Light should showcase its LGBTQ+ support. The beer giant is prepared to spend a record amount in clean-up marketing this summer to try and appease both sides of its base.

Tags: Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light, Dylan Mulvaney, LGBTQ, Transgender

KARAH RUCKER: “BOYCOTTS RARELY WORK — EXPERTS SAY AMID BUD LIGHT ANTI-TRANS BACKLASH.”

“BUD LIGHT SALES DIP AFTER TRANS PROMOTION —

BUT — SUCH BOYCOTTS ARE OFTEN SHORT-LIVED.”

“WHY A BUD LIGHT BOYCOTT IN THE U.S. WON’T MATTER.”

YOU’RE LOOKING AT HEADLINES FROM ABC NEWS, NPR, AND NEWS WEEK FROM BACK IN APRIL — WHEN THE BEER BRAND’S CONTROVERSIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH TRANSGENDER INFLUENCER DYLAN MULVANEY FIRST LIT UP SOCIAL MEDIA.

FAST-FORWARD THREE MONTHS – AND THE BUD LIGHT BOYCOTT — IS STILL GOING STRONG.

BUD LIGHT WEEKLY SALES HIT NEW LOW IN JUNE, DOWN 28%

AND MULVANEY IS REACTING FOR THE FIRST TIME PUBLICLY TO THE NOW VIRAL BUD LIGHT POST. BUD LIGHT SALES CONTINUE TO REACH NEW WEEKLY LOWS —

SLUMPING TO A NEW LOW AS RECENT AS JUNE 17TH —

WITH SALES DOWN 28 PERCENT YEAR-OVER-YEAR.

DYLAN MULVANEY: BUD LIGHT HASN’T REACHED OUT SINCE PARTNERSHIP

IT WAS APRIL FIRST WHEN TRANSGENDER INFLUENCER DYLAN MULVANEY POSTED THIS VIDEO — BUD LIGHT IN HAND — THAT TRIGGERED THIS VIDEO OF KID ROCK IGNITING A PROTEST OF AMERICA’S THEN NUMBER ONE BEER – WHICH WAS DETHRONED BY THE BEER MODELO IN MAY.

AND NOW — FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE BOYCOTT BEGAN — MULVANEY HAS RELEASED A VIDEO IN RESPONSE – SAYING BUD LIGHT NEVER REACHED OUT FOLLOWING THE VIRAL ADVERTISEMENT.

DYLAN MULVANEY | TRANSGENDER INFLUENCER: “I should’ve made this video months ago but I didn’t, I was scared – scared of more backlash. For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all.”

BUDLIGHT: COMMITTED TO PARTNERSHIPS WITH LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

TODAY BUD LIGHT OFFERED A RESPONSE TO MULVANEY’S RECENT VIDEO.

SAYING QUOTE –“WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO THE PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS WE HAVE FORGED OVER DECADES WITH ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING THOSE IN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY.”

CATCH 22 TO APPEASE TWO SIDES OF CONTROVERSY

ANHEUSER-BUSCH FACES A CATCH-22. THE BOYCOTT FIRST BEGAN BECAUSE A LARGELY-CONSERVATIVE GROUP OF BEER DRINKERS BELIEVE BUD LIGHT SHOULDN’T SERVE SOCIAL IDEOLOGIES WITH ITS BEER.

BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE — TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES AND ADVOCATES — LIKE MULVANEY — BELIEVE BUD LIGHT SHOULD SHOWCASE ITS LGBTQ SUPPORT.

THE BEER GIANT IS PREPARED TO SPEND A RECORD AMOUNT IN CLEAN-UP MARKETING SPENDING THIS SUMMER TO TRY AND APPEASE BOTH SIDES OF ITS BASE.