A top Anheuser-Busch executive emerged from the boiler room to deliver a boilerplate statement regarding the backlash against the beer giant following its decision to promote Bud Light by entering into a partnership with controversial transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The “apology lite” made no mention of Mulvaney, the decision to partner with Mulvaney, or subsequent statements appearing to devalue Bud Light drinkers, and it seems not to have gone down smoothly with the beer brand’s erstwhile customer base.
The bland statement was produced by Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. CEO Brendan Whitworth. Anheuser-Busch is a subsidiary of international beverage giant InBev.
Reaction on social media to the executive’s lukewarm “apology” — which the New York Post called “flatter than a day-old Bud Light” — was “scathing.”
Parent company InBev has lost billions in market value since the backlash, which almost surely prompted the insipid corporate statement.
Not everyone has had the same takeaway from the incident, however. Nike, for example, rushed to partner with Mulvaney, who promptly could be seen prancing about in tight Nike pants and a Nike sports bra while announcing the new modeling deal with the athletic apparel giant, which is based near Portland, Oregon.
As Bud Light’s sales plummet, other corporations have rushed to demonstrate where they stand, and Mulvaney has not been left thirsting for sponsorships.
Former consumers are not as impressed, however. One wrote on social media regarding the executive’s statement, “NOPE. Not good enough. Boycott continues until full apology, fire VP Mrkt, and Mulvaney dropped. Either that or Anheuser-Busch becomes the next Schlitz.”
Budweiser was long known as “The King of Beers” prior to its recent transition, and whether its customer base ultimately returns or moves on to a different beer remains to be seen.
