Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch is giving distributors free beer to make amends after Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Tuesday.
Anheuser-Busch is sending distributors a case of Bud Light for every employee and planning to increase marketing spending and create new ad campaigns to restore Bud Light’s image, distributors told WSJ. Distributors are bearing the brunt of Bud Light’s noticeable drop in sales caused by the Mulvaney partnership and subsequent backlash, WSJ reported. (RELATED: Bud Light Pours Plummet Amid Conservative Boycott)
The maker of Bud Light is working to make amends with its distributors, who say they have taken the brunt of the backlash to a company promotion with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender social-media star https://t.co/xk0QWP7mnD
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) May 3, 2023
Mulvaney, a biological male who identifies as a transgender female, posted videos on social media advertising Bud Light on April 1 and showed off customized beer cans Bud Light sent to celebrate “365 days of girlhood.” The partnership sparked backlash from conservatives who criticized Bud Light for promoting transgender ideology by supporting Mulvaney.
The backlash intensified when a video resurfaced showing Bud Light marketing executive Alissa Heinserscheid describing her plan to shakeup Bud Light’s “fratty” and “out of touch” image. Heinerscheid and another marketing executive have been placed on leave because of a boycott resulting from the Mulvaney partnership. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Social Media Pics From Bud Light Ad Exec Who Slammed ‘Fratty’ Culture Seem Pretty Fratty)
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement released April 14 the company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.” Mulvaney responded to the backlash in a video posted April 28th after three weeks offline and talked about the critics who “dehumanize” the influencer. Before the Bud Light partnership, Mulvaney met with President Biden in October to promote transgender procedures for minors.