The CEO of the beer’s brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, reportedly stated the business attempted to avoid taking sides on too many divisive subjects weeks before the Bud Light-Dylan Mulvaney connection created widespread controversy.
Conservatives reacted vi0lently to Bud Light’s collaboration with transgender influencer Mulvaney and called for a boycott of the company. Early sales data suggests it might be suffering financially as well, despite the business issuing few statements throughout the uproar.
The Financial Times interviewed Michel Doukeris, the head of the largest brewer in the world, in March. Doukeris was cited as saying that he and the corporation attempted to avoid taking sides too much but that it was “outdated” to imagine that companies could remain isolated as societies’ demands of them grow louder.
“I might have a viewpoint, but it doesn’t always mean the business should be public about everything. As a CEO, let’s say I am a little bit bashful, therefore I don’t talk much,” Doukeris stated.
Mulvaney announced her transition to womanhood on April 1 by presenting a personalized Bud Light can she had gotten from the company in a video she shared on Instagram. The video provoked a fierce outcry and calls for a boycott of the well-known beer company.
While some politicians, including Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have posted videos making fun of Bud Light and their previous advertisements, musician Kid Rock posted his own video in which he was seen shooting several Bud Light cans.
According to a survey performed by Redfield & Wilton Strategie, the vast majority of consumers who were already purchasing Bud Light would keep doing so. However, it was discovered that 13% of Bud Light drinkers would stop purchasing it, which, if it resulted in lost sales, would mean a significant decline in the company’s earnings.
Mulvaney addressed the incident during his appearance on Rosie O’Donnell’s podcast, Onward with Rosie O’Donnell, and stated: “The reason I think I’m an easy target is that I’m still new to this. I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult.”
Newsweek was informed on April 3 by a representative for Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, that the organization “works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.”
Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of Bud Light, said in a statement on April 14 in response to harsh criticism, “We never intended to be a part of a topic that divides people. We specialize in establishing connections between people over beer.
My time spent serving our nation taught me the value of accountability and the principles upon which America was built: freedom, toil, and mutual respect. Building and preserving our incredible history and tradition are my top priorities as Anheuser-Busch’s CEO, the statement continued.
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A trade publication called Ad Age announced earlier this month that Alissa Heinerscheid, a marketing manager for Bud Light, was taking a leave of absence.
Anheuser-Busch confirmed to The Wall Street Journal shortly after this revelation that Daniel Blake, another marketing executive, was also taking a leave of absence. Many of those who called for beer boycotts viewed it as a victory even though the specifics of the leave were kept private.
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