We’re closing in on one year of the “Bud Light Boycott,” and though the tension definitely seems to be settled for the most part, the Anheuser-Busch brand is still feeling the impact.
According to numbers released by CNN, the beer brand lost $1.4 billion (with a “B”) following their partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. They also lost the title of America’s top selling beer, and have had to backtrack and attempt to save face ever since they worked with Mulvaney.
The transgender influencer has also struggled since the partnership and subsequent backlash. Mulvaney was a guest on a panel at South by Southwest, and spoke on how lines of communication with brands suddenly stopped after the Bud Light fiasco:
“With what happened to me last year, unfortunately, certain brands didn’t even continue speaking with me. And I think I could have been so integral to the solutions, but they continued (to not communicate). I think of it kind of like as a parent where a parent doesn’t put a stop to something, then the bullying can continue. I think that’s (where) sometimes these brands need to step up.”
Mulvaney then went on to say that amidst the most active part of the boycott, the social media personality had thought up a way to respond, but the beer brand never got back:
“I did have an idea on how to fix last year’s situation. I come from a comedy background, I did stand up. I think humor can be very healing and I think it can appeal to both sides.
And I thought ‘How fun would it have been if we had done some sort of Western commercial where it was a cowboy at the end of the bar and then maybe a trans person on the other and there’s like one beer in the center and then (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Theme plays). Just because we could have a laugh.”
Yeah, I doubt Bud Light would have been on board to further dive into that, considering they went “radio silent” for quite some time after the boycott first started.
Even when Bud Light has been confronted about the partnership in the past year, they’ve spoke very generally, as if they are still trying to distance themselves from Mulvaney. Anheuser-Busch US CEO Brendan Whitworth was asked directly about Mulvaney and possible bringing the influencer back on Good Morning America, and he responded with this:
“As we move forward, we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble in listening to them, making sure that we do right by our employee, take care and support our partners, and ultimately make an impact in the communities that we serve.”
That answer doesn’t exactly scream, “We’d love to have Dylan Mulvaney back.” It more so implies, “We would like to not lose $1 billion again.”
You can hear Dylan Mulvaney talk more about the Bud Light Boycott, and the backlash that came with in, in the video below from South by Southwest:
