In a video posted to TikTok and Instagram, trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney criticized Bud Light for its response to the conservative boycott of the brand ignited by their partnership.
In the video, Mulvaney said the brand has not reached out to her in the aftermath of the controversy, and that she has faced harassment for months. She went on to criticize Bud Light for leveraging her trans identity in its marketing without supporting her, claiming the response to the backlash directed more hate toward her and other members of the trans community.
“For months now I’ve been scared to leave my house. I have been ridiculed in public. I’ve been followed. And I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. And I’m not telling you this because I want your pity. I am telling you this because, if this is my experience from a very privileged perspective, know that it is much, much worse for other trans people,” she said.
“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse, in my opinion, than not hiring a trans person at all, because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want. And the hate doesn’t end with me. It has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community,” Mulvaney said.
Bud Light did not respond to Marketing Brew’s request for comment by publication.
The controversy around the brand’s partnership with Mulvaney began in April, when she posted about a customized beer can Bud Light had sent her to announce their collaboration. Strong online conservative backlash followed, with many consumers boycotting the brand, and Bud Light sales plunged.
To mitigate the fallout, parent company Anheuser-Busch’s CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement saying the brand “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” which did little to change conservative sentiment—and which also further alienated LGBTQ+ customers. Additionally, Bud Light gave its distributors free beer and put two executives on leave, including Alissa Heinerscheid, its marketing VP and the first woman in the role, who had hoped to modernize the brand.
Bud Light’s damage control efforts include a new campaign with a summer-themed commercial that debuted this month. The campaign involves partnerships with NFL athletes, money giveaways, and a country music concert tour, in what has become the brand’s largest media spend to date.
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