'Woke' Bud Light promotion with trans activist leads to collapse in sales
Dylan Mulvaney promoted Bud Light on her TikTok
TikTok
Bud Light sales have collapsed by 17 per cent since its paid partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, 26, backfired three weeks ago.
Latest sales data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting shows Bud Light sales have slumped by 17 percent, while volume dropped 21 per cent in the week ended April 15.
Anheuser-Busch, brewers of America’s most popular beer, announced last weekend that two marketing executives who masterminded the Mulvaney deal, Alissa Heinerscheid and Daniel Blake, have been placed on leave of absence.
Dylan Mulvaney, who has reportedly bagged $1million this year, is an American transgender activist and comedian who has been charting his gender transition in daily TikTok videos since early 2022.
Anheuser-Busch rearguard action as it removes marketing execs
WikiCommons/TikTok
Bud Light reportedly lost 6.7 per cent of its market share last week, while Coors Light and Miller Lite are up 18 per cent, according to beer-focused newsletter Insights Express.
The newsletter reported the collapse as “staggering”.
Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, said: “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.
“We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
Mulvaney posted TikTok videos featuring a set of unique commemorative cans gifted by Anheuser-Busch that did not go on sale to the general public.
Rory Sutherland, vice chairman of advertising company Ogilvy and Spectator columnist, said: “The assumed audience was probably followers of Dylan Mulvaney, who, fairly predictably, are actually rather fond of Dylan Mulvaney, which is why they follow her.
“And I don't think Bud Light would have anticipated anything of this kind happening.”
It follows outcry at Mulvaney’s sports bra partnership with Nike, where Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies called for a boycott of Nike.
Ron DeSantis waded into the debate
ReutersDavies told GB News: "It’s just so frustrating when only one percent of the US sponsorship dollar in the whole of the USA goes to actual females in sports.
“That they would then do this seems like a kick in the teeth.”
Several high-profile figures have publicly spoken out about the partnership.
Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, asked: “Why would you want to drink Bud Light?
“It’s part of a larger thing where corporate America is trying to change our country.”
In a video uploaded to social media, Kid Rock can be seen shooting a gun into several boxes of Bud Light before remarking “f*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch”, while fellow musician Travis Tritt has also publicly boycotted the brand.