Officials with the maker of Bud Light have broken their silence amid the ongoing public relations nightmare following a ‘partnership’ with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney in the worst possible way for once-loyal customers.
Following almost two weeks of backlash that led to threats of a boycott and substantial financial losses for his company, CEO Brendan Whitworth released a statement about Bud Light’s contentious collaboration, but he refrained from mentioning Mulvaney, transgenderism, or providing an apology to upset customers.
At the beginning of the month, the controversy erupted when Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman, declared on Instagram that “Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever: a can with my face on it.” The clip also featured the hashtag #budlightpartner. In the days and weeks that followed, critics denounced Bud Light’s insensitive marketing approach, and beer consumers chose other brands over it, the Daily Wire noted.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth said in a statement issued on Friday. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
He added that he is responsible “for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew” and that the company gladly and proudly supports “our communities, military, first responders, sports fans, and hard-working Americans everywhere.” The CEO went on to say he spends a lot of time “listening to and learning from our customers, distributors, and others.”
But the statement did not directly tackle the matter that plunged the company into a 13-day public relations crisis – the partnership with a man who gained internet popularity by impersonating a woman for a year.
The CEO’s statement was released almost two weeks after Mulvaney posted a video on April 1, in which he displayed Bud Light cans featuring his face. There was initially confusion about whether the announcement was genuine because Bud Light’s official social media pages and press releases did not mention any collaboration with Mulvaney, the Daily Wire noted.
The partnership was confirmed on April 3, with the beer company describing the custom beer cans as a “gift” to mark Mulvaney’s personal milestone of posting videos in make-up and women’s clothing for 365 days.
On Thursday, sources close to the situation claimed that “no one at the senior level” of the company was aware of Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney. The company has since reportedly paused its marketing efforts and is now rushing to implement a more “robust” process for evaluating future influencer partnerships.
“The claims come despite the company’s vice president of marketing recently touting her mandate to make the brand more ‘inclusive,’ and after the company issued a statement confirming the partnership and describing it as an attempt to ‘authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,’” The Daily Wire noted in an earlier report.
