2023 Anheuser-Busch boycott

A boycott on Anheuser-Busch products began in the United States in April 2023. The boycott was spurred by a sponsorship the company did with actress and TikToker Dylan Mulvaney on April 1.[1] Mulvaney, a transgender woman and transgender activist,[2][3] promoted the company's Bud Light beer brand during March Madness.[4] The video triggered major backlash from American conservatives, among them singer Kid Rock, who helped instigate a boycott against Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch as a whole.[5] In the month following the advertisement, Bud Light's sales fell between 11 and 26 percent,[6][7][8] while Anheuser-Busch's sales fell about 1 percent.[9][10]

Background

Dylan Mulvaney is an American transgender woman who is best known for her "Days of Girlhood" series on TikTok. In the series, she documents her gender transition process starting in March 2022. Her TikTok videos regarding her gender transition began to garner virality on the platform, and she swiftly amassed a large following.[11]

Mulvaney began to be subject to significant criticism and controversy amongst American conservatives in October 2022. In that month, she collaborated with genderfluid hairstylist David Lopez in a podcast for Ulta Beauty; the incident led to calls amongst conservatives for a boycott against the beauty store chain.[12] Later that month, she interviewed US president Joe Biden for the left-wing NowThis News. The interview subsequently went viral amongst conservatives and Mulvaney began to face greater scrutiny from the American right. Mulvaney was criticized by several high-profile Republicans and right-wing personalities including Marsha Blackburn, Caitlyn Jenner (who is also transgender), and Marjorie Taylor Greene.[13][14]

Sponsorship

Marketing shift at Anheuser-Bush

Amidst the ensuing controversy, critics blamed Bud Light's new vice president of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, as responsible for the brand's move. Heinerscheid, who became a vice president at the company in July 2022, stated that her mission was to evolve the company to make it more inclusive,[15][16] and to move the Bud Light brand away from its "frat bro" image.[17] On a March 23, 2023, interview for Make Yourself at Home, a show hosted by Kristin Twiford, Heinerscheid stated:

"... this brand is in decline. It has been in decline for a very long time. And if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light ... It's like, we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand. And my ... what I brought to that was a belief in, okay, what does evolve and elevate mean? It means inclusivity. It means shifting the tone. It means having a campaign that's truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different and appeals to women and to men."[18]

Mulvaney sponsorship
External video
Dylan Mulvaney's promotional video for Bud Light
Logo of Instagram
via Instagram
video icon – Post by Mulvaney (April 1, 2023)

On April 1, 2023, Mulvaney uploaded a video to her Instagram in which she was dressed up as Audrey Hepburn's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's. In the video, Mulvaney states: "So, I kept hearing about this thing called March Madness, and I thought we were all just having a hectic month! But it turns out it has something to do with sports. And I'm not sure exactly which sport, but either way it's a cause to celebrate."[19] She then added that Bud Light was giving fans a chance to win $15,000 USD.[20]

Boycott

The partnership faced backlash from the American right and anti-trans groups, who called for a boycott of Bud Light and its parent company of Anheuser-Busch.[21] Immediate scrutiny came as social media posts responded to the sponsored video.[22]

In favor
External video
Country singer Kid Rock records himself firing at several Bud Light cases with an MP5.
Twitter logo
via Twitter
video icon – Video by Kid Rock (April 3, 2023)

A boycott was carried out, with many consumers opting to not buy Bud Light or any Anheuser-Busch products at bars or stores.[23] Many conservative commentators, politicians, and celebrities participated in the boycott. One famous instance occurred on April 3rd, where conservative singer Kid Rock filmed himself shooting three cases of Bud Light with an MP5 submachine gun,[24] while wearing a MAGA hat, exclaiming "Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser-Busch."[25] As of May 6, the video has over 11 million views.[26]

Another country artist, Travis Tritt, joined Kid Rock in calling for the boycott. He pulled all Anheuser-Busch products from his upcoming concert tour stating that Anheuser-Busch was "[a] great American company that later sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer. Such a shame."[27] He was joined shortly after by outspokenly conservative rock musician Ted Nugent, who called Anheuser-Busch's Dylan Mulvaney partnership "the Epitome of Cultural Deprivation", and vowed to "never allow any Anheuser-Busch products anywhere near my world" while also applauding Kid Rock for calling the boycott.[28] John Rich, a country music singer-songwriter, announced he would no longer be selling Anheuser-Busch products at his Nashville bar.[29]

Videos on TikTok and Twitter of people smashing, throwing away, and driving over Bud Light bottles swiftly circulated across the internet, with a TikTok sound being created condemning Anheuser-Busch for the advertisement, often used on posts showcasing beer aisles of liquor stores being barren except for Anheuser-Busch products.[26] Several threats were made to Anheuser-Busch factories during the boycott, including various bomb threats that forced certain factories to close.[30][31][32]

In addition to the backlash from conservatives, members of the LGBT community have started their own boycott of Anheuser-Busch, led by several prominent gay bars in Chicago, when the company attempted to distance themselves from Mulvaney.[33]

Against

In response, radio personality Howard Stern questioned the backlash against Mulvaney, posing a question to Kid Rock on his Sirius XM radio show: "Why are you so upset about this? How is it hurtful?"[34][35] Country musician Zach Bryan quoted Tritt's song "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" in his condemnation of the other artists backlash, saying: "I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be. It's a great day to be alive I thought."[36]

Response

Anheuser-Busch's immediate response to the boycott was the following statement: "From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public."[37] Citing safety concerns due to the backlash, Anheuser-Busch canceled all of their Budweiser Clydesdales events indefinitely.[38] An AB InBev executive stated: "No one at a senior level was aware this was happening." It was also alleged that AB InBev would be pausing all influencer marketing deals until more robust vetting procedures could be implemented. Anheuser-Busch's CEO Brendan Whitworth issued the following statement:

"We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer. My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage. I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others. Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."[39][40]

Whitworth's statement was met with criticism as it neither supported Mulvaney nor disavowed the advertisement.[41][42]

On April 17, 2023, responding to the boycott, Anheuser-Busch rolled out a revised advertising campaign featuring Clydesdale horses against the backdrop of rural, small town American landscapes.[43] On April 21, 2023, Anheuser-Busch issued a statement that Alissa Heinerscheid, who had taken a leave of absence since the controversy began, would be removed from her position as Vice President and replaced with their Vice President of Global Marketing, Todd Allen, known for leading the push to allow alcohol to be sold at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[44][45] The company also hired two Washington, D.C.-based conservative political consultant groups to advise the brand moving forward.[46] A second executive, Daniel Blake, who was Heinerscheid's supervisor, was also placed on leave in the aftermath of the controversy.[47] An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal: "Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support. Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence."[48][49]

In the week ending April 8, Bud Light had reportedly experienced a 11 percent drop in sales, and a 21 percent drop in the week ending April 15.[6] As of May 1, 2023, Bud Light "off-premise sales" had dropped 26 percent since the start of the boycott.[6] At a shareholder meeting on May 4, 2023, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s CEO Michel Doukeris distanced the company from Mulvaney saying "...this was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign."[50][51] Doukeris also said that the drop in sales "would represent around 1 percent of our overall global volumes for that period".[52][53] Doukeris said the company would increase support to wholesalers and triple Bud Light’s advertising budget in an attempt to recover lost sales.[50][51]

On May 10, HSBC downgraded AB InBev's stock rating due to the drop in sales.[54] Additionally, the boycott had begun to affect the sales of Anheuser-Busch's other brands with a 11.4% sales hit to their flagship Budweiser brand, and a 4.4% drop of Grupo Modelo sales. This is on top of the roughly 21.4% drop in sales of Bud Light.[55][56]

See also

References
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  2. Dylan Mulvaney Speaks Out Following Bud Light Ad Controversy
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