Anheuser-Busch walks back Mulvaney partnership as ‘one single can’: Report
Luke Gentile
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Anheuser-Busch is speaking directly to customers and distributors, stating all the chaos stemming from its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney is the product of “one single can.”
The brewery shared a message with wholesalers addressing the backlash ravaging the brand and nosediving sales, according to a report.
BUD LIGHT SALES NOSEDIVE AS ANHEUSER-BUSCH IS ASKED TO REAFFIRM DYLAN MULVANEY SUPPORT
“This was one single can given to one social media influencer,” the letter states.
“It was not made for production or sale to the general public. This can is not a formal campaign or advertisement.”
The letter to wholesalers was shared with local restaurants, bars, and retailers throughout the country by Missouri-based distributor Grey Eagle, the report noted.
Grey Eagle distributes Anheuser-Busch products, including Bud Light, in the greater St. Louis area and included a cover letter to Anheuser-Busch’s message.
“Anheuser-Busch did not intend to create controversy or make a political statement,” the letter read.
“In reality, the Bud Light can posted by a social media influencer that sparked all the conversation was provided by an outside agency without Anheuser-Busch management awareness or approval … Since that time, the lack of oversight and control over marketing decisions has been addressed and a new VP of Bud Light marketing has been announced.”
When looking at the week of April 17 and April 22, Bud Light sales are down 26.1% from what they were a year ago, and the financial battering of the iconic beer brand comes as conservatives throughout the United States continue to boycott Anheuser-Busch products.
Many on the Right are furious about Bud Light going “woke” and allowing Mulvaney, a biological male who identifies as female, to promote its product while dressed like Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
The move to partner with the transgender activist appears to have been a part of the push by executives to “evolve and elevate” Bud Light, but it has come at a great cost to both Anheuser-Busch’s bankroll and public image, and at least two senior marketing executives have been forced to take a leave of absence.
Former Anheuser-Busch Chief Creative Officer Robert Lachky left the company in 2009, and he has publicly criticized Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney, the report noted.
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“The minute you step into the political or religious spectrum, when you know your target audience is going to have a real issue with this, you know you’ve alienated at least half of your target audience,” he said.
“None of these marketing folks has ever been to a NASCAR race. None has been to a football game or a rodeo…That’s insanity. That’s marketing incompetence.”