Anheuser-Busch Rolls Out New Patriotic Ad amid Mulvaney Backlash
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Anheuser-Busch released a new advertisement on Friday imbued with patriotic imagery amid mounting backlash against its partnership with transgender social-media personality Dylan Mulvaney.
“Let me tell you a story about a beer rooted in the heart of America,” a gravelly-voiced narrator says as scenes of Budweiser’s trademark Clydesdale horse gallops through the Grand Canyon and underneath the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
“Found in a community where a handshake is a sure contract. Brewed for those who found opportunity in the challenge and hope in tomorrow. Raised by generations willing to sip, share, risk, remember. This is a story bigger than beer: this is the story of the American spirit,” the clip concludes.
Apparently, Budweiser got the message. pic.twitter.com/tOLVaZJ9lF
— Myrna 💋💄 (@GigaBeers) April 16, 2023
The ad’s release comes amid reports that sales of Bud Light have nosedived in the wake of its branding partnership with Mulvaney.
Last Wednesday, Fox News Business interviewed bar owners and restauranteurs across the country and found that bottle sales of Bud Light were down 30 percent in certain markets. The following day, a local Budweiser supplier in Springfield, Mo., Wil Fischer Distributing, canceled several planned appearances of the beer company’s iconic Clydesdale horses, citing safety concerns to employees.
Anheuser-Busch decided to partner with Mulvaney, celebrating the transgender influencer’s “365 days of womanhood” with a series of branded social-media posts.
“If we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” the beer’s VP of marketing explained last month in a clip that has since gone viral.
“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.”
Meet Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s VP of Marketing. She explains her strategy of using “inclusive” marketing to promote the brand to young people.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 9, 2023
However, following the blowback, Anheuser-Busch chief executive Brendan Whitworth decided to release an official statement on Friday to address the controversy.
“We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere,” Whitworth noted. “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 responded to the public outcry on Rosie O’Donnell’s podcast last week. “The reason I think I’m an easy target is because I’m still new to this. I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult,” Mulvaney said.
“I have watched it get so much worse, as my timeline has gone on and it’s been very kind of odd to compare the two, my transition as well as all this anti-trans legislation simultaneously,” Mulvaney added.
