Beer brand Bud Light and the company that makes it, Anheuser Busch, continue to suffer fallout after the disastrous decision to partner with transgender activist and biological male Dylan Mulvaney.
Amid a boycott from conservative drinkers, Anheuser-Busch is apparently making plans for a significant marketing campaign for Bud Light as the beer company attempts to recuperate following its collaboration, the Fox Business Network reports.
Benj Steinman, the editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights, disclosed to the New York Post that Anheuser-Busch executives disclosed in a closed-door meeting with distributors this week in Washington, D.C., that the company plans to “spend heavily on the brand after spending fell off a cliff last year.”
The Post noted further that Steinman said in a letter to clients on Wednesday that the company “did promise to spend lotsa dough on Bud Light [marketing] this spring and summer, starting with big push this week for the NFL draft.”
The Bud Light brand is still entangled in controversy following its collaboration with Mulvaney. The company had sent Mulvaney a custom beer pack featuring his image as part of an advertisement for its March Madness contest and to commemorate a year since Mulvaney began identifying as a woman.
After news of the partnership went viral, Anheuser-Busch reportedly lost around $5 billion in market value, and calls for a nationwide boycott ensued. Bars and distributors across the country also reported notable drops in Bud Light sales.
The negative response caused the brand to restructure its marketing team, and Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a lengthy statement in an effort to quell the backlash directed towards Bud Light and the company as a whole.
Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch is receiving calls from the transgender community to double down publicly on their support for Mulvaney.
Earlier this week, Jay Brown, a senior vice president at the Human Rights Campaign, wrote a letter to the head of Anheuser-Busch’s human resources department, urging the company to stand firm in their support of the LGBTQ community despite the controversy.
“In this moment, it is absolutely critical for Anheuser-Busch to stand in solidarity with Dylan and the trans community,” Brown’s letter, obtained by The Hill, said.
“However, when faced with anti-LGBTQ+ and transphobic criticism, Anheuser-Busch’s actions demonstrate a profound lack of fortitude in upholding its values of diversity, equity, and inclusion to employees, customers, shareholders and the LGBTQ+ community.”
Brown accused the manufacturer of lending “credence to hate-filled rhetoric.”
“This not only lends credence to hate-filled rhetoric, it exposes Anheuser-Busch to long-term business impacts with employees and customers increasingly looking for steadfast commitment to LGBTQ+ corporate citizenships.”
