Recent revelations shed light on the events that took place inside Anheuser Busch earlier this year that led to a transgender influencer being selected for a paid marketing campaign with one of the company’s top brands, Bud Light, a highly controversial decision that sparked a major backlash, and now the company’s response is under scrutiny.
Sources close to the situation claim that “no one at the senior level” of the company was aware of Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, the polarizing transgender influencer. The company is reportedly pausing its marketing efforts and rushing to implement a more “robust” process for evaluating future influencer partnerships, The Daily Wire reported Thursday.
“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 outlet noted further, citing the company.
The controversy began when Dylan Mulvaney, a biological male who identifies as a woman, announced on Instagram earlier this month that “Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever: a can with my face on it.”
“Happy March Madness!!” Mulvaney captioned his Instagram post. “Just found out this had to do with sports and not just saying it’s a crazy month! In celebration of this sports thing @budlight is giving you the chance to win $15,000! Share a video with #EasyCarryContest for a chance to win!! Good luck.”
In addition, the video included the hashtag #budlightpartner.
Initially, there was some confusion as to whether the announcement was real, because Bud Light had not mentioned anything about the partnership on its own social media pages.
According to influential conservative activist Rogan O’Handley, known as DC Draino on Twitter, sources inside the company have told him that C-level executives were angered over the marketing engagement with Mulvaney. Similarly, former Newsmax host John Cardillo has written on Twitter that it appears that those same executives did not approve the Mulvaney campaign, the outlet said.
As I’ve been digging into this, I’m finding this to be 100% true@AnheuserBusch has donated far more to GOP candidates than Dems, and FAR more than woke @MolsonCoors.
Looks like the Dylan Mulvaney campaign was not approved by senior execs.
Heads should roll. https://t.co/e301ZF2vDU
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) April 6, 2023
According to The Daily Wire, two sources familiar with the situation claim that the choice to feature Dylan Mulvaney in an advertising campaign aimed at younger consumers was not authorized by any senior executives within the company.
“No one at a senior level was aware this was happening,” one source told the outlet. “Some low-level marketing staffer who helps manage the hundreds of influencer engagements they do must have thought it was no big deal. Obviously, it was, and it’s a shame because they have a well-earned reputation for just being America’s beer — not a political company. It was a mistake.”
According to a second source, a decision was made by a lower-level employee to include Mulvaney in the campaign, which has apparently resulted in the company losing $5 billion in market value.
The backlash against the iconic American beer brand has been so strong that a Budweiser distributor in Missouri canceled an event featuring the company’s famous Clydesdale horses, citing sensitivity over the matter.
