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2023 Bud Light boycott

January 19, 2024

A boycott on Bud Light, the top beer brand in the United States,[1] began in April 2023. The boycott began in response to a sponsorship campaign the company conducted with actress and TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender woman.[2][3]

On April 1, as part of a larger campaign to address Bud Light's decline in sales and attract younger audiences,[1][4] Mulvaney promoted the company's Bud Light beer brand in a short video on her Instagram account during March Madness.[5] The video triggered a backlash from American conservatives, including singer Kid Rock, who helped instigate a boycott against Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch more broadly.[4][6][7] Proponents of the boycott described the sponsorship as "political" because it involved a transgender woman who had previously advocated for transgender rights.[8] Several media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times and NBC News, described the backlash as "anti-trans".[4][9]

In the month following the advertisement, Bud Light's sales fell between 11 and 26%,[10][11][12] while Anheuser-Busch's sales fell about 1%.[13][14] In May 2023, AB InBev's stock price fell 20%, enough for it to be classified as a bear stock by Forbes. HSBC Securities downgraded its rating on the company from 'Buy' to 'Hold'.[15][16] CNBC estimated that in May AB InBev's sales fell 18%.[17] In May 2023, Bud Light lost its status as the top-selling beer in the United States—a spot it had held for 20 years—to Modelo Especial.[18][19]

Background

Marketing shift at Anheuser-Busch

 
Alissa Heinerscheid in 2019

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 goal was to evolve the Bud Light advertising to make it more inclusive,[20] and to move it away from its "fratty and out-of-touch humor".[21] In 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 really 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.[22]

Dylan Mulvaney

Dylan Mulvaney is an American social media personality, best known for her "Days of Girlhood" video series on TikTok. Mulvaney is a transgender woman, and she has documented her gender transition in the series starting in March 2022. Her videos soon became viral on TikTok, and she swiftly amassed a large following.[23]

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.[24] 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, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.[9][25]

Mulvaney sponsorship

External videos
Dylan Mulvaney's promotional video for Bud Light
 
  [1] – Post by Mulvaney (April 1, 2023)

On April 1, 2023, Mulvaney uploaded a video to her Instagram in which she was dressed 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."[26] She then added that Bud Light was giving fans a chance to win US$15,000.[27]

Boycott

The partnership faced a rebuff from the American right and anti-trans groups, who called for a boycott of Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch.[28] Immediate scrutiny came as social media posts responded to the sponsored video.[29] According to The Washington Post, the advertisement led figures in right-wing media, such as Fox News, to refer to Mulvaney in "disparaging and often in transphobic terms nearly a dozen times over the next three days".[30]

External videos
Country singer Kid Rock records himself firing at several Bud Light cases with an MP5.
 
  [2] – Video by Kid Rock (April 3, 2023)

A boycott was carried out, with many consumers opting to not purchase Bud Light or any Anheuser-Busch products at bars or stores.[31] Many conservative commentators, politicians, and celebrities participated in the boycott, as they opposed the endorsement by Mulvaney, a transgender person. On April 3, 2023, conservative country singer Kid Rock filmed himself shooting three cases of Bud Light with an MP5 submachine gun,[32] while wearing a MAGA hat, exclaiming "Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser-Busch."[33] As of May 6, 2023, the video had been viewed more than 11 million times.[34]

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."[35] He was joined shortly after by 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". He also applauded Kid Rock for calling the boycott.[36] John Rich, a country music singer-songwriter, announced he would no longer be selling Anheuser-Busch products at his Nashville bar.[37]

Videos on TikTok and Twitter circulated across the internet, depicting people who were smashing, throwing away, and driving over Bud Light bottles.[34] Several threats were made to Anheuser-Busch factories during the boycott, including various bomb threats that forced certain factories to close.[38][39][40]

After Anheuser-Busch attempted to distance themselves from Mulvaney in response, members of the LGBT community started their own boycott of the company, led by several prominent gay bars in Chicago.[41]

In April 2023, Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis criticized Bud Light's association with Mulvaney as part of a trend of "woke companies" that were "trying to change our country", stating that "pushback is in order across the board".[42]

Anheuser-Busch's former President of Sales, Anson Frericks, has repeatedly given interviews in Fox Business calling for President Brendan Whitworth to step down or be fired for the advertising campaign and failure to remediate the brand's public perception in its aftermath.[43][44][45][46][8] In addition, Billy Busch, heir to the fortune of Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, has blamed the company's drastic drop in sales on its leadership, namely Brendan Whitworth.[47][48]

Response

Statements from Anheuser-Busch

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."[49] Citing safety concerns due to the backlash, Anheuser-Busch canceled all of their Budweiser Clydesdales events indefinitely.[50] 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.[51][52]

Whitworth's statement was met with criticism as it neither directly supported Mulvaney nor disavowed the advertisement.[53][54]

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.[55] On April 21, 2023, Anheuser-Busch issued a statement that 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.[56][57] The company also hired two Washington, D.C.-based conservative political consultant groups to advise the brand moving forward.[58] A second executive, Daniel Blake, who was Heinerscheid's supervisor, was also placed on leave in the aftermath of the controversy.[6] 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."[59][60]

On June 28, 2023, Brendan Whitworth gave an interview to CBS, where he highlighted Bud Light's history of supporting the queer community since 1998 and stressed their commitment to continuing to support them. He also stated that Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, was planning on tripling Bud Light's budget for the 2023 NFL season. Lastly, he lamented the financial damage done to Bud Light's distributors, wholesalers, and other employees.[61]

On October 31, 2023, AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris stated that the company will be shifting to universal themes, stating:[62]

Consumers continue to want the Bud Light brand to concentrate on the platforms that all consumers love, and we are doing just that through investing in partnerships with the NFL, Fields of Honor, news platforms, college football, and our recently announced return to partnering with the UFC. Two, they want Bud Light to focus on beer.[62]

However, Bud Light's new partnership with the UFC has garnered more negative attention to the company, specifically from pro-LGBT communities after UFC fighter Sean Strickland, who has expressed disdain for the transgender community, tweeted after the partnership was announced that he was going to "fix" Bud Light and "save the day."[63]

Other responses

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?"[64][65] 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."[66] Garth Brooks shared that his bar would continue to serve Bud Light products, and that he believed in "inclusiveness" and "diversity".[67] Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell directly responded to Kid Rock's tweets, sarcastically sharing past Coors Light advertising which supported LGBT causes.[67]

Donald Trump Jr. called for an end to the boycott in April 2023, stating that he was not in favor of "destroying an American, iconic company" over "the stupidity of someone in a marketing campaign". He further cited their record of donating more to conservative politicians as a reason to end the boycott.[68]

Former NBA star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Charles Barkley has also spoken against the boycott.[69]

Mulvaney

In June 2023, Mulvaney said that Bud Light did not support her following the backlash to the advertisement, adding that "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." In a company statement, Bud Light did not directly respond to Mulvaney, but said that they remain "committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community."[70]

Impact

Effect on sales

In the week ending April 8, 2023, Bud Light had reportedly experienced an 11% drop in sales, and a 21% drop in the week ending April 15, 2023.[10] As of May 1, 2023, Bud Light "off-premise sales" had dropped 26% since the start of the boycott.[10] 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."[71][72] Doukeris also said that the drop in sales "would represent around 1 percent of our overall global volumes for that period".[13][14] Doukeris said the company would increase support to wholesalers and triple Bud Light's advertising budget in an attempt to recover lost sales.[71][72]

On May 10, 2023, HSBC downgraded its rating of AB InBev from 'Buy' to 'Hold' amidst the boycott.[73] Additionally, the boycott had begun to affect the sales of Anheuser-Busch's other brands with an 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.[74][75] Constellation Brands owns the exclusive licensing and distribution rights for Grupo Modelo brands in the United States.

In mid-May, Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn opened a Senate investigation into Anheuser-Busch's partnership with Mulvaney, citing as particular points of cause Mulvaney's use of the word "girlhood" in the title of her TikTok series, her references to herself as a girl, and concerns over whether the partnership was intended to market alcoholic beverages to children.[76][77][78] In late August 2023, Anheuser-Busch would face criticism from Cruz for stonewalling the investigation while Armstrong Williams assessed that using a TikTok influencer showed a clear intent to market to underage children.[79][80]

Responding to Anheuser-Busch's alleged failure to support Mulvaney during the boycott, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation rescinded the company's top rating for LGBTQ+ equality in May 2023.[81]

By the end of May 2023, the terms "Bud Lighted" and "Bud Lighting" began to circulate on the internet to describe a boycott whose "strategy is to crush so-called rainbow capitalism by branding companies as "woke" and calling for boycotts over everything from Adidas' gender-inclusive swimwear to a The North Face marketing campaign featuring drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia."[82][83]

Also at the end of May 2023, AB InBev stock shares fell by 20% from where it was before the boycott and had begun to be considered a bear stock by Forbes. In total, $26 billion had been removed from their market valuation, as rival Molson Coors' stock valuation rose 19%.[15][84] Meanwhile, HSBC cut AB InBev stock to a hold. HSBC analyst Carlos Laboy explained the decision's thought process "It is unclear how ABI will reverse eroding US volume and brand relevance, and fix distributors' trust, without leadership changes."[16]

Sales volume for Bud Light fell 29.5% in the week ending May 20, 2023.[16] Besides the growth in Molson Coors, sales of products owned by the Boston Beer Company also surged since the boycott began.[85] Late May also saw AB InBev double down on their pro-LGBTQ+ outlook, donating $200,000 to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.[86] The company also attempted to patch their sales figures by offering $15 rebates with the purchase of a 15-pack and slashing prices to $3.49 for a 24-pack.[87]

MarketWatch reported that May 2023 was the single worst month in AB InBev's history, correlating to the single largest selloff of AB InBev stock due to a 17% overall drop in sales, with Bud Light dropping in sales by 28%, Budweiser by 16%, Busch by 12%, and Michelob Ultra by 10%. MarketWatch also noted that AB InBev's rival, Molson Coors, had seen their products sale dramatically increase. Noting a 16% increase in Coors Light, 15% increase in Miller Lite, and Yuengling, an independent brewery in collaboration with Molson Coors, had sales jump 32%.[88][89] CNN called the boycott "a self induced injury that torpedoed sales".[90]

On June 3, 2023, Brayden King, a professor of management and organizations, gave an interview to CNBC calling the Bud Light boycott an outlier in the right's attack on "woke capitalism" because it is the first one to actually harm the company's sales. King studied 133 political boycotts from 1990 to 2005 and none of them accounted for more than a 1% drop in sales for a company; the Bud Light boycott had resulted in an estimated 18% drop in all AB InBev sales. CNBC also predicted that the boycott would only strengthen as June Pride Month began, and to expect Molson Coors stock to continue to climb.[17] Also on June 3, Bud Light premiered a series of ads during the first game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals which fell back on "macho" adverts "screaming masculinity" centering around the company releasing a limited run of Harley-Davidson partnered cans.[91][92]

Former president of sales and distribution at Anheuser-Busch, Anson Frericks, noted that should the boycott remain strong for another month, retailers would have no choice but to begin reallocating their limited shelf space by relying on sales data from the preceding months.[93]

Struggling sales and stock price, as well as a nearly $1 billion investment in Heineken N.V. by Bill Gates prior to the controversy, began to threaten AB InBev's position as the number 1 beer producer and distributor in the United States.[94] Most of the industry had been anticipating Modelo Especial to overtake Bud Light in sales for some time, but the boycott accelerated the switch.[18] In early June, Modelo Especial topped Bud Light as America's largest selling beer by revenue,[95][19] after Bud Light had held the spot for 20 years.[18] Forbes reported that AB InBev was facing a "permanent" 15% drop in their stock price that they would be unable to revert as the company's stock continued to slip.[96][97]

Sales would continue to decline during the July 4th weekend, with Bud Light dropping to the 14th place in popularity, falling behind Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller Lite.[98] During the weekend Anheuser-Busch offered a $15 rebate on Bud-Light, effectively making it free.[99] However, this was not enough to end the boycott as sales slid 23.6% over the weekend compared to 2022, as rivals such as Coors continued to climb in market share.[100]

Anheuser-Busch's stocks would begin to stabilize in early August 2023 ending a nearly 5-month-long slide in their stock valuation.[101] Additionally, a survey by Deutsche Bank in early August found that only 3% of Bud Light drinkers plan on boycotting the beer. However, people already boycotting the beer, which they assessed to be upwards of 30% of pre-boycott drinkers, were not surveyed.[102] On September 13, AB InBev posted their first stock growth since the start of the boycott, at +0.04%, however, continued to struggle when compared to the growth of other beer brands.[103]

On September 6, 2023, Bill Gates purchased 1.7 million shares (0.1% stake) of AB InBev valued at $95 million stating that he is confident in the Beer company's future to recover from the boycott.[104][105][106] Anson Frericks stated that his purchasing of AB InBev stock was an attempt to recover from his unsuccessful investment into Heineken earlier in the year.[107]

TheStreet reported that the boycott on AB InBev products has been successful mostly due to consumers buying beers made by Molson-Coors or other companies, which does not impact the overall experience of drinking, and thus makes the boycott easy to maintain.[108] Bank of America upgraded their stock ranking on September 29, 2023, arguing that the damage of the boycott is mostly passed. As a result, the AB InBev stock price saw its second best day in 2023, and their best day since the start of the boycott, up 3.3%.[109] However, AB InBev saw it's stock decline by 2.86% in the two weeks after.[110][111]

By October 16, 2023, the total decline in AB InBev's revenue from sales since the start of the boycott came in as 10.5%. At the same time Yuengling reported that they have been consistently selling out their entire stock and seek to expand their distribution to the remaining 24 states where they aren't sold to fill the void of AB InBev and Bud-Light.[112] On October 31 2023, AB InBev opened up about the exact sales figures, reporting a 13.5% decline in U.S. revenue and a 17.5% decline in U.S. sales and a total decline in volume of 3.4%; however, they reported continued growth, namely in Central America and Africa.[113][114]

Effect on AB InBev

By July 2023, Bud Light's parent company AB InBev's shares had fallen to $58 per share, despite being at $66 in March 2023.[115][116] In July 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called for AB InBev to be investigated by Florida's pension fund agency, as Florida's pension fund held over 680,000 shares in AB InBev.[116][117] For the April-to-June quarter, AB InBev reported that its United States revenue had dropped by 10.5% from the previous year, primarily due to a volume decline in Bud Light. However, its global brands like Stella Artois and Corona contributed to an overall global revenue increase of 7.2% for the same period.[118]

On July 27, 2023, AB InBev announced they would be laying off nearly 400 of their North American staff. The layoff, which consisted of about 2% of the company, comes following the decline in the Company's stock prices and sales figures. CEO Brendan Whitworth clarified that the layoffs will mostly be located in the corporate front office and marketing team, and will not affect the brewers and distributors.[119][120][121][122]

On August 8, 2023, Anheuser-Busch sold off several brands to the cannabis company Tilray. These included Shock Top, Breckenridge Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Redhook Ale Brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewery, Square Mile Cider Company, and HiBall Energy. Anheuser-Busch cited a $400 million drop in revenue for the reason for the sale, which turned Tilray into the fifth largest craft beer producer in the United States.[123][124][125] Following these property sales, Billy Busch, heir to the fortune of Adolphus Busch, offered to purchase the Bud Light brand from Anheuser-Busch.[48][47]

On September 19, 2023, AB InBev elevated Michelob Ultra as a "global brand" signaling the company's shift towards Michelob Ultra as their new flagship light beer, as opposed to Bud-Light. The company also stated that the move would have the brand compete better with Heineken. Additionally, AB InBev's Chief Marketing Officer, Marcel Marcondes, stated that the company's "leading horse" and "top priority" is Corona.[126]

On October 16, 2023, AB InBev announced that they were selling the Virtue Cider company back to its prior owner Greg Hall, who founded the company back in 2011. Greg Hall, also the former brewmaster of Goose Island Brewery and son of Goose Island's CEO John Hall, sold Virtue Cider to AB InBev in 2015.[127]

See also

References

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January 19, 2024
2023, light, boycott, boycott, light, beer, brand, united, states, began, april, 2023, boycott, began, response, sponsorship, campaign, company, conducted, with, actress, tiktok, personality, dylan, mulvaney, transgender, woman, april, part, larger, campaign, . A boycott on Bud Light the top beer brand in the United States 1 began in April 2023 The boycott began in response to a sponsorship campaign the company conducted with actress and TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney a transgender woman 2 3 On April 1 as part of a larger campaign to address Bud Light s decline in sales and attract younger audiences 1 4 Mulvaney promoted the company s Bud Light beer brand in a short video on her Instagram account during March Madness 5 The video triggered a backlash from American conservatives including singer Kid Rock who helped instigate a boycott against Bud Light and Anheuser Busch more broadly 4 6 7 Proponents of the boycott described the sponsorship as political because it involved a transgender woman who had previously advocated for transgender rights 8 Several media outlets including the Los Angeles Times and NBC News described the backlash as anti trans 4 9 In the month following the advertisement Bud Light s sales fell between 11 and 26 10 11 12 while Anheuser Busch s sales fell about 1 13 14 In May 2023 AB InBev s stock price fell 20 enough for it to be classified as a bear stock by Forbes HSBC Securities downgraded its rating on the company from Buy to Hold 15 16 CNBC estimated that in May AB InBev s sales fell 18 17 In May 2023 Bud Light lost its status as the top selling beer in the United States a spot it had held for 20 years to Modelo Especial 18 19 Contents 1 Background 1 1 Marketing shift at Anheuser Busch 1 2 Dylan Mulvaney 2 Mulvaney sponsorship 3 Boycott 4 Response 4 1 Statements from Anheuser Busch 4 2 Other responses 4 3 Mulvaney 5 Impact 5 1 Effect on sales 5 2 Effect on AB InBev 6 See also 7 ReferencesBackgroundMarketing shift at Anheuser Busch nbsp Alissa Heinerscheid in 2019Amidst 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 goal was to evolve the Bud Light advertising to make it more inclusive 20 and to move it away from its fratty and out of touch humor 21 In 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 really 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 22 Dylan Mulvaney Dylan Mulvaney is an American social media personality best known for her Days of Girlhood video series on TikTok Mulvaney is a transgender woman and she has documented her gender transition in the series starting in March 2022 Her videos soon became viral on TikTok and she swiftly amassed a large following 23 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 24 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 and Marjorie Taylor Greene 9 25 Mulvaney sponsorshipExternal videosDylan Mulvaney s promotional video for Bud Light nbsp via Instagram nbsp 1 Post by Mulvaney April 1 2023 On April 1 2023 Mulvaney uploaded a video to her Instagram in which she was dressed 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 26 She then added that Bud Light was giving fans a chance to win US 15 000 27 BoycottThe partnership faced a rebuff from the American right and anti trans groups who called for a boycott of Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser Busch 28 Immediate scrutiny came as social media posts responded to the sponsored video 29 According to The Washington Post the advertisement led figures in right wing media such as Fox News to refer to Mulvaney in disparaging and often in transphobic terms nearly a dozen times over the next three days 30 External videosCountry singer Kid Rock records himself firing at several Bud Light cases with an MP5 nbsp via Twitter nbsp 2 Video by Kid Rock April 3 2023 A boycott was carried out with many consumers opting to not purchase Bud Light or any Anheuser Busch products at bars or stores 31 Many conservative commentators politicians and celebrities participated in the boycott as they opposed the endorsement by Mulvaney a transgender person On April 3 2023 conservative country singer Kid Rock filmed himself shooting three cases of Bud Light with an MP5 submachine gun 32 while wearing a MAGA hat exclaiming Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser Busch 33 As of May 6 2023 the video had been viewed more than 11 million times 34 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 35 He was joined shortly after by 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 He also applauded Kid Rock for calling the boycott 36 John Rich a country music singer songwriter announced he would no longer be selling Anheuser Busch products at his Nashville bar 37 Videos on TikTok and Twitter circulated across the internet depicting people who were smashing throwing away and driving over Bud Light bottles 34 Several threats were made to Anheuser Busch factories during the boycott including various bomb threats that forced certain factories to close 38 39 40 After Anheuser Busch attempted to distance themselves from Mulvaney in response members of the LGBT community started their own boycott of the company led by several prominent gay bars in Chicago 41 In April 2023 Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis criticized Bud Light s association with Mulvaney as part of a trend of woke companies that were trying to change our country stating that pushback is in order across the board 42 Anheuser Busch s former President of Sales Anson Frericks has repeatedly given interviews in Fox Business calling for President Brendan Whitworth to step down or be fired for the advertising campaign and failure to remediate the brand s public perception in its aftermath 43 44 45 46 8 In addition Billy Busch heir to the fortune of Adolphus Busch co founder of Anheuser Busch has blamed the company s drastic drop in sales on its leadership namely Brendan Whitworth 47 48 ResponseStatements from Anheuser Busch 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 49 Citing safety concerns due to the backlash Anheuser Busch canceled all of their Budweiser Clydesdales events indefinitely 50 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 51 52 Whitworth s statement was met with criticism as it neither directly supported Mulvaney nor disavowed the advertisement 53 54 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 55 On April 21 2023 Anheuser Busch issued a statement that 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 56 57 The company also hired two Washington D C based conservative political consultant groups to advise the brand moving forward 58 A second executive Daniel Blake who was Heinerscheid s supervisor was also placed on leave in the aftermath of the controversy 6 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 59 60 On June 28 2023 Brendan Whitworth gave an interview to CBS where he highlighted Bud Light s history of supporting the queer community since 1998 and stressed their commitment to continuing to support them He also stated that Bud Light s parent company Anheuser Busch was planning on tripling Bud Light s budget for the 2023 NFL season Lastly he lamented the financial damage done to Bud Light s distributors wholesalers and other employees 61 On October 31 2023 AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris stated that the company will be shifting to universal themes stating 62 Consumers continue to want the Bud Light brand to concentrate on the platforms that all consumers love and we are doing just that through investing in partnerships with the NFL Fields of Honor news platforms college football and our recently announced return to partnering with the UFC Two they want Bud Light to focus on beer 62 However Bud Light s new partnership with the UFC has garnered more negative attention to the company specifically from pro LGBT communities after UFC fighter Sean Strickland who has expressed disdain for the transgender community tweeted after the partnership was announced that he was going to fix Bud Light and save the day 63 Other responses 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 64 65 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 66 Garth Brooks shared that his bar would continue to serve Bud Light products and that he believed in inclusiveness and diversity 67 Singer songwriter Jason Isbell directly responded to Kid Rock s tweets sarcastically sharing past Coors Light advertising which supported LGBT causes 67 Donald Trump Jr called for an end to the boycott in April 2023 stating that he was not in favor of destroying an American iconic company over the stupidity of someone in a marketing campaign He further cited their record of donating more to conservative politicians as a reason to end the boycott 68 Former NBA star and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Charles Barkley has also spoken against the boycott 69 Mulvaney In June 2023 Mulvaney said that Bud Light did not support her following the backlash to the advertisement adding that 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 In a company statement Bud Light did not directly respond to Mulvaney but said that they remain committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities including those in the LGBTQ community 70 ImpactEffect on sales In the week ending April 8 2023 Bud Light had reportedly experienced an 11 drop in sales and a 21 drop in the week ending April 15 2023 10 As of May 1 2023 Bud Light off premise sales had dropped 26 since the start of the boycott 10 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 71 72 Doukeris also said that the drop in sales would represent around 1 percent of our overall global volumes for that period 13 14 Doukeris said the company would increase support to wholesalers and triple Bud Light s advertising budget in an attempt to recover lost sales 71 72 On May 10 2023 HSBC downgraded its rating of AB InBev from Buy to Hold amidst the boycott 73 Additionally the boycott had begun to affect the sales of Anheuser Busch s other brands with an 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 74 75 Constellation Brands owns the exclusive licensing and distribution rights for Grupo Modelo brands in the United States In mid May Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn opened a Senate investigation into Anheuser Busch s partnership with Mulvaney citing as particular points of cause Mulvaney s use of the word girlhood in the title of her TikTok series her references to herself as a girl and concerns over whether the partnership was intended to market alcoholic beverages to children 76 77 78 In late August 2023 Anheuser Busch would face criticism from Cruz for stonewalling the investigation while Armstrong Williams assessed that using a TikTok influencer showed a clear intent to market to underage children 79 80 Responding to Anheuser Busch s alleged failure to support Mulvaney during the boycott the Human Rights Campaign Foundation rescinded the company s top rating for LGBTQ equality in May 2023 81 By the end of May 2023 the terms Bud Lighted and Bud Lighting began to circulate on the internet to describe a boycott whose strategy is to crush so called rainbow capitalism by branding companies as woke and calling for boycotts over everything from Adidas gender inclusive swimwear to a The North Face marketing campaign featuring drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia 82 83 Also at the end of May 2023 AB InBev stock shares fell by 20 from where it was before the boycott and had begun to be considered a bear stock by Forbes In total 26 billion had been removed from their market valuation as rival Molson Coors stock valuation rose 19 15 84 Meanwhile HSBC cut AB InBev stock to a hold HSBC analyst Carlos Laboy explained the decision s thought process It is unclear how ABI will reverse eroding US volume and brand relevance and fix distributors trust without leadership changes 16 Sales volume for Bud Light fell 29 5 in the week ending May 20 2023 16 Besides the growth in Molson Coors sales of products owned by the Boston Beer Company also surged since the boycott began 85 Late May also saw AB InBev double down on their pro LGBTQ outlook donating 200 000 to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce 86 The company also attempted to patch their sales figures by offering 15 rebates with the purchase of a 15 pack and slashing prices to 3 49 for a 24 pack 87 MarketWatch reported that May 2023 was the single worst month in AB InBev s history correlating to the single largest selloff of AB InBev stock due to a 17 overall drop in sales with Bud Light dropping in sales by 28 Budweiser by 16 Busch by 12 and Michelob Ultra by 10 MarketWatch also noted that AB InBev s rival Molson Coors had seen their products sale dramatically increase Noting a 16 increase in Coors Light 15 increase in Miller Lite and Yuengling an independent brewery in collaboration with Molson Coors had sales jump 32 88 89 CNN called the boycott a self induced injury that torpedoed sales 90 On June 3 2023 Brayden King a professor of management and organizations gave an interview to CNBC calling the Bud Light boycott an outlier in the right s attack on woke capitalism because it is the first one to actually harm the company s sales King studied 133 political boycotts from 1990 to 2005 and none of them accounted for more than a 1 drop in sales for a company the Bud Light boycott had resulted in an estimated 18 drop in all AB InBev sales CNBC also predicted that the boycott would only strengthen as June Pride Month began and to expect Molson Coors stock to continue to climb 17 Also on June 3 Bud Light premiered a series of ads during the first game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals which fell back on macho adverts screaming masculinity centering around the company releasing a limited run of Harley Davidson partnered cans 91 92 Former president of sales and distribution at Anheuser Busch Anson Frericks noted that should the boycott remain strong for another month retailers would have no choice but to begin reallocating their limited shelf space by relying on sales data from the preceding months 93 Struggling sales and stock price as well as a nearly 1 billion investment in Heineken N V by Bill Gates prior to the controversy began to threaten AB InBev s position as the number 1 beer producer and distributor in the United States 94 Most of the industry had been anticipating Modelo Especial to overtake Bud Light in sales for some time but the boycott accelerated the switch 18 In early June Modelo Especial topped Bud Light as America s largest selling beer by revenue 95 19 after Bud Light had held the spot for 20 years 18 Forbes reported that AB InBev was facing a permanent 15 drop in their stock price that they would be unable to revert as the company s stock continued to slip 96 97 Sales would continue to decline during the July 4th weekend with Bud Light dropping to the 14th place in popularity falling behind Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller Lite 98 During the weekend Anheuser Busch offered a 15 rebate on Bud Light effectively making it free 99 However this was not enough to end the boycott as sales slid 23 6 over the weekend compared to 2022 as rivals such as Coors continued to climb in market share 100 Anheuser Busch s stocks would begin to stabilize in early August 2023 ending a nearly 5 month long slide in their stock valuation 101 Additionally a survey by Deutsche Bank in early August found that only 3 of Bud Light drinkers plan on boycotting the beer However people already boycotting the beer which they assessed to be upwards of 30 of pre boycott drinkers were not surveyed 102 On September 13 AB InBev posted their first stock growth since the start of the boycott at 0 04 however continued to struggle when compared to the growth of other beer brands 103 On September 6 2023 Bill Gates purchased 1 7 million shares 0 1 stake of AB InBev valued at 95 million stating that he is confident in the Beer company s future to recover from the boycott 104 105 106 Anson Frericks stated that his purchasing of AB InBev stock was an attempt to recover from his unsuccessful investment into Heineken earlier in the year 107 TheStreet reported that the boycott on AB InBev products has been successful mostly due to consumers buying beers made by Molson Coors or other companies which does not impact the overall experience of drinking and thus makes the boycott easy to maintain 108 Bank of America upgraded their stock ranking on September 29 2023 arguing that the damage of the boycott is mostly passed As a result the AB InBev stock price saw its second best day in 2023 and their best day since the start of the boycott up 3 3 109 However AB InBev saw it s stock decline by 2 86 in the two weeks after 110 111 By October 16 2023 the total decline in AB InBev s revenue from sales since the start of the boycott came in as 10 5 At the same time Yuengling reported that they have been consistently selling out their entire stock and seek to expand their distribution to the remaining 24 states where they aren t sold to fill the void of AB InBev and Bud Light 112 On October 31 2023 AB InBev opened up about the exact sales figures reporting a 13 5 decline in U S revenue and a 17 5 decline in U S sales and a total decline in volume of 3 4 however they reported continued growth namely in Central America and Africa 113 114 Effect on AB InBev By July 2023 Bud Light s parent company AB InBev s shares had fallen to 58 per share despite being at 66 in March 2023 115 116 In July 2023 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called for AB InBev to be investigated by Florida s pension fund agency as Florida s pension fund held over 680 000 shares in AB InBev 116 117 For the April to June quarter AB InBev reported that its United States revenue had dropped by 10 5 from the previous year primarily due to a volume decline in Bud Light However its global brands like Stella Artois and Corona contributed to an overall global revenue increase of 7 2 for the same period 118 On July 27 2023 AB InBev announced they would be laying off nearly 400 of their North American staff The layoff which consisted of about 2 of the company comes following the decline in the Company s stock prices and sales figures CEO Brendan Whitworth clarified that the layoffs will mostly be located in the corporate front office and marketing team and will not affect the brewers and distributors 119 120 121 122 On August 8 2023 Anheuser Busch sold off several brands to the cannabis company Tilray These included Shock Top Breckenridge Brewery Blue Point Brewing Company 10 Barrel Brewing Company Redhook Ale Brewery Widmer Brothers Brewery Square Mile Cider Company and HiBall Energy Anheuser Busch cited a 400 million drop in revenue for the reason for the sale which turned Tilray into the fifth largest craft beer producer in the United States 123 124 125 Following these property sales Billy Busch heir to the fortune of Adolphus Busch offered to purchase the Bud Light brand from Anheuser Busch 48 47 On September 19 2023 AB InBev elevated Michelob Ultra as a global brand signaling the company s shift towards Michelob Ultra as their new flagship light beer as opposed to Bud Light The company also stated that the move would have the brand compete better with Heineken Additionally AB InBev s Chief Marketing Officer Marcel Marcondes stated that the company s leading horse and top priority is Corona 126 On October 16 2023 AB InBev announced that they were selling the Virtue Cider company back to its prior owner Greg Hall who founded the company back in 2011 Greg Hall also the former brewmaster of Goose Island Brewery and son of Goose Island s CEO John Hall sold Virtue Cider to AB InBev in 2015 127 See also2020s anti LGBT movement in the United States 2023 Target Pride Month merchandise backlash Cancel culture Diversity marketing Rainbow capitalism Boston Children s Hospital which also received bomb threats due to an anti trans backlashReferences a b Jennifer Maloney May 21 2023 How Bud Light Blew It The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Wikidata Q118563641 Retrieved May 23 2023 Dylan Mulvaney Speaks Out Following Bud Light Ad Controversy Archived from the original on May 8 2023 Retrieved May 8 2023 Dylan Mulvaney is back on social media amid anti trans backlash to Bud Light partnership Los Angeles Times April 28 2023 Archived from the original on May 8 2023 Retrieved May 8 2023 a b c Anti trans backlash against Bud Light has executives on the hot seat What s going on Los Angeles Times April 25 2023 Archived from the original on April 27 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Stewart Emily April 12 2023 The Bud Light boycott explained as much as is possible Vox Archived from the original on April 26 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 a b Holpuch Amanda Creswell Julie April 25 2023 2 Executives Are on Leave After Bud Light Promotion With Transgender Influencer The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on April 27 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Kaufman Gil April 12 2023 Watch Stephen Colbert Blast Kid Rock s Anti Bud Light Stance With Shaft Beer Parody Billboard Archived from the original on April 12 2023 Retrieved April 13 2023 a b Former Anheuser Busch president They have not been clear what Bud Light stands for Fox Business April 27 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 a b Lavietes Matt October 26 2022 GOP senator targets TikTok influencer with anti transgender taunt NBC News Archived from the original on October 26 2022 Retrieved April 11 2023 a b c Bary Andrew Bud Light Sales Fall 26 as Transgender Backlash Worsens Barron s Archived from the original on May 1 2023 Retrieved May 1 2023 Phillips Aleks May 2 2023 Bud Light sales drop again sparking boycotter celebrations Newsweek Archived from the original on May 10 2023 Retrieved May 7 2023 Valinsky Jordan April 26 2023 Bud Light sales are falling but distributors say they re sticking by the brand CNN Business CNN Archived from the original on May 8 2023 Retrieved May 7 2023 a b Mayer Grace What boycott Bud Light controversy led to only a 1 drop in global sales volume CEO says Business Insider Archived from the original on May 10 2023 Retrieved May 7 2023 a b Anheuser Busch InBev NV BUD Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript Motley Fool Transcribing May 4 2023 Archived from the original on May 12 2023 Retrieved May 7 2023 a b Schafer Josh May 30 2023 Bud Light sales decline sends ABInBev shares sliding Yahoo Finance Retrieved June 2 2023 a b c O Halloran Suzanne May 31 2023 Bud Light parent Anheuser Busch sees 27 billion gone shares near bear market Fox Business Retrieved June 2 2023 a b Berk Christina Cheddar June 3 2023 Boycotts hit stocks hard Here s what might be next for Bud Target and others caught in the anti Pride backlash CNBC Retrieved June 4 2023 a b c Moreno J Edward July 23 2023 How a Mexican Lager Quietly Rose to Become America s Best Selling Beer The New York Times Retrieved August 3 2023 a b Jennifer Maloney June 14 2023 Bud Light Loses Title as Top Selling U S Beer The Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Wikidata Q119496973 Retrieved June 14 2023 Durbin Dee Ann April 26 2023 Bud Light fumbles but experts say inclusive ads will stay AP News Archived from the original on April 26 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Thompson Sonia April 21 2023 3 Inclusive Marketing Lessons From Bud Light s Fumbled Dylan Mulvaney Controversy Forbes Archived from the original on April 22 2023 Retrieved April 22 2023 Alissa Heinerscheid VP Bud Light Make Yourself at Home Podcast Nines March 23 2023 Event occurs at 25 20 Retrieved May 30 2023 Link to the podcast appears in the following article Billson Chantelle April 11 2023 No future for Bud Light without ads with stars like Dylan Mulvaney VP says PinkNews Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Jones Rachyl September 10 2022 TikTok Watched Dylan Mulvaney Become a Woman One Day at a Time The Observer Archived from the original on September 26 2022 Retrieved April 11 2023 Dellatto Marisa November 22 2022 BoycottTampax Trends On Twitter After Viral Tweet From Tampon Company Forbes Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 11 2023 Iftikhar Asyia October 27 2022 Caitlyn Jenner joins right wing pile on of trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney PinkNews Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 11 2023 Ritschel Chelsea April 4 2023 Bud Light praised as ally for partnership with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney The Independent Archived from the original on April 4 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Martinez Gina April 6 2023 Bud Light partnership with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney prompts conservative backlash CBS News Archived from the original on April 10 2023 Retrieved April 11 2023 Ulea Anca April 10 2023 Why are conservatives lashing out at Nike and Bud Light Euronews Archived from the original on April 16 2023 Retrieved April 11 2023 Bellware Kim Javaid Maham April 6 2023 She s in Bud Light ads and all over the internet Who is Dylan Mulvaney The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved April 11 2023 Bellware Kim Javaid Maham April 6 2023 She s on Bud Light cans and all over the internet Who is Dylan Mulvaney The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved April 7 2023 Byrne Kerry April 11 2023 Bud Light suffers bloodbath as longtime and loyal consumers revolt against transgender campaign Fox Business Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 11 2023 Klee Miles April 4 2023 Kid Rock Buys Cases of Bud Light So He Can Shoot Them While Crying Rolling Stone Archived from the original on April 22 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Garcia Thania April 6 2023 Bud Light Partnership With Trans Star Dylan Mulvaney Prompts Backlash From Conservative Artists Variety Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 11 2023 a b Bharade Aditi April 11 2023 Right wingers are so pissed about Bud Light s LGBTQ marketing that they keep buying the beer just to film themselves destroying it Business Insider Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 11 2023 Daw Stephen April 6 2023 Travis Tritt Cuts All Anheuser Busch Products From His Tour Rider Following Brand s Trans Inclusive Campaign Billboard Archived from the original on April 12 2023 Retrieved April 12 2023 Daw Stephen April 11 2023 Ted Nugent Calls Anheuser Busch s Dylan Mulvaney Partnership the Epitome of Cultural Deprivation Billboard Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 12 2023 Wethington Caleb April 7 2023 Travis Tritt John Rich drop Anheuser Busch due to company s campaign with trans influencer WSMV TV Archived from the original on April 12 2023 Retrieved April 12 2023 Bomb threat made to Budweiser s Van Nuys factory CBS News April 14 2023 Archived from the original on April 22 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Levesque Brody April 15 2023 Budweiser brewery in Van Nuys receives bomb threat over trans ad Los Angeles Blade Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Bud Light the beer that got snarled up in the culture wars The Week UK April 27 2023 Archived from the original on April 27 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Valle Jay May 10 2023 Chicago gay bars boycott Anheuser Busch for distancing itself from Dylan Mulvaney NBC Archived from the original on May 13 2023 Retrieved May 13 2023 Abad Dylan April 18 2023 DeSantis comments on controversial Bud Light partnership WFLA TV Retrieved July 22 2023 Former Anheuser Busch Exec Calls For CEO To Quit In Wake Of Bud Light Trans Controversy americancraftbeer com July 5 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 Carnahan Ashley July 10 2023 Former Anheuser Busch executive shocked by company s losses Mulvaney partnership was a mistake Fox Business Retrieved July 30 2023 Anheuser Busch CEO should step down for failed Bud Light response Anson Frericks Fox Business July 10 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 Bud Light should ve fired their CEO not hundreds of workers Anson Frericks Fox Business July 28 2023 Retrieved July 30 2023 a b Kline Daniel August 16 2023 Forget Kid Rock Bud Light faces a new big name critic TheStreet Retrieved August 16 2023 a b Hamilton Heather August 16 2023 Anheuser Busch heir offers to buy back Bud Light We ll make that brand great again Washington Examiner Retrieved August 16 2023 Wiener Bronner Danielle April 20 2023 Anheuser Busch facilities face threats after Bud Light backlash CNN Business Archived from the original on April 23 2023 Retrieved April 23 2023 Hammer Jessica April 6 2023 Clydesdales canceled Springfield Budweiser distributor stop appearances KTVI Archived from the original on April 12 2023 Retrieved April 12 2023 Our Responsibility To America Anheuser Busch April 14 2023 Archived from the original on April 17 2023 Retrieved April 18 2023 Sabes Adam April 14 2023 Anheuser Busch breaks silence after Bud Light s Dylan Mulvaney controversy Fox Business Archived from the original on April 14 2023 Retrieved April 14 2023 Floyd Thomas Selk Avi April 15 2023 Bud Light chief says he never intended boycott over trans star Dylan Mulvaney The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on April 15 2023 Retrieved April 17 2023 Telford Taylor April 22 2023 Bud Light s attempt to market to new customers alienated old ones The Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on April 22 2023 Retrieved April 27 2023 Dennis Derricke April 17 2023 Budweiser pivots with new ad after partnership with transgender TikTok star stirs backlash ABC 7 News Archived from the original on April 18 2023 Retrieved April 18 2023 Gharat Shibani April 14 2023 We were shocked Budweiser s Todd Allen on last minute FIFA ban on alcohol at Qatar World Cup stadium CNBC TV18 Archived from the original on April 22 2023 Retrieved April 22 2023 Schuhmacher Harry April 21 2023 Bud Light Management Changes Todd Allen Appointed VP Bud Light Beernet com Archived from the original on April 21 2023 Retrieved April 22 2023 Nerozzi Timothy April 22 2023 Bud Light marketing VP takes leave of absence in wake of Dylan Mulvaney backlash report Fox Business Archived from the original on April 23 2023 Retrieved April 23 2023 Otis Ginger Adams April 23 2023 Bud Light Brewer Puts Two Executives on Leave After Uproar Over Transgender Influencer The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved April 24 2023 Downey Caroline April 24 2023 Another Anheuser Busch Marketing Executive on Leave after Mulvaney Fiasco National Review Archived from the original on April 24 2023 Retrieved April 24 2023 via Yahoo News Novak Analisa June 28 2023 Anheuser Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth says financial assistance is being sent to wholesalers beer distributors impacted by boycott backlash CBS Retrieved July 18 2023 a b Kline Daniel November 2023 Bud Light has a new plan as boycotts continue after huge scandal The Street Retrieved November 1 2023 Kline Daniel October 31 2023 Bud Light faces a new scandal Anheuser Busch could have seen coming The Street Retrieved November 1 2023 Aniftos Rania April 10 2023 Howard Stern Is Dumbfounded Over Kid Rock amp Travis Tritt s Transphobia Billboard Archived from the original on April 12 2023 Retrieved April 12 2023 Ogwude Haadiza April 11 2023 Howard Stern shows support for Dylan Mulvaney calls out Kid Rock and Travis Tritt The Cincinnati Enquirer Archived from the original on April 22 2023 Retrieved April 12 2023 Rowley Glenn April 10 2023 Zach Bryan Condemns Insulting Transgender People Amid Travis Tritt s Anheuser Busch Boycott Billboard Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved April 12 2023 a b Daw Steven June 13 2023 Every Musician Who s Spoken About Anheuser Busch s Trans Inclusive Campaign Kid Rock Jason Isbell amp More Billboard Retrieved June 15 2023 Nerozzi Timothy April 15 2023 Donald Trump Jr opposes Bud Light boycott citing company s donations to Republicans Fox News Retrieved June 15 2023 Bucholtz Andrew July 14 2023 Charles Barkley again speaks in support of LGBTQ community adds support for Bud Light If you re gay bless you If you re transgender bless you Awful Announcing Retrieved July 18 2023 Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light didn t support her during backlash AP News June 30 2023 Retrieved July 3 2023 a b Pandolfo Chris May 4 2023 CEO distances Anheuser Busch from Bud Light Dylan Mulvaney controversy Not a formal campaign Fox Business Archived from the original on May 4 2023 Retrieved May 4 2023 a b Goldstein Steve Anheuser Busch InBev CEO says beer shouldn t be focus of debate as Bud Light sales deteriorate MarketWatch Archived from the original on May 4 2023 Retrieved May 4 2023 Sabes Adam May 10 2023 Bud Light parent company s stock downgraded by HSBC amid branding crisis huge sales drop Fox Business Archived from the original on May 13 2023 Retrieved May 13 2023 Rivas Teresa Bud Light Controversy Hits Anheuser Busch s Other Beer Brands Barron s Archived from the original on May 13 2023 Retrieved May 13 2023 Fickenscher Lisa Bud Light sales decline is now affecting Anheuser Busch s other brands according to new data MarketWatch Archived from the original on May 13 2023 Retrieved May 13 2023 Cruz opens a probe into Anheuser Busch over Dylan Mulvaney partnership The Hill Archived from the original on May 20 2023 Retrieved May 20 2023 Ted Cruz Launches Investigation Into Bud Light for Ad Featuring Transgender Influencer Because No He Doesn t Have Anything Better to Do Vanity Fair Archived from the original on May 19 2023 Retrieved May 20 2023 Ted Cruz Launches Senate Probe Into Bud Light s Ad With Dylan Mulvaney HuffPo Archived from the original on May 20 2023 Retrieved May 20 2023 Expert Anheuser Busch partnership with Dylan Mulvaney impacted the drinking in underage kids WTGS Fox August 21 2023 Retrieved August 22 2023 Expert Anheuser Busch partnership with Dylan Mulvaney impacted the drinking in underage kids KOMO TV ABC August 21 2023 Retrieved August 22 2023 Wiener Bronner Danielle May 19 2023 Anheuser Busch loses top LGBTQ rating over its Bud Light response CNN Archived from the original on May 22 2023 Retrieved May 22 2023 Guynn Jessica Bud Lighted Target is latest to face boycott calls over support for the LGBTQ community USA Today Retrieved May 30 2023 Goldberg Jonah May 30 2023 Why Bud Lighting isn t stopping any time soon The Los Angeles Times Retrieved May 30 2023 Saul Derek Anheuser Busch Stock Enters Bear Territory Amid Anti Trans Bud Light Backlash Forbes Retrieved June 2 2023 Murphy Aislinn May 31 2023 Bud Light backlash to boost Truly seltzers analyst Fox Business Retrieved June 2 2023 Salao Colin May 31 2023 Bud Light Announces New Initiative With LGBTQ Business Owners Despite Boycott Loss of Sales TheStreet Retrieved June 2 2023 Heilman Greg May 30 2023 What is Bud Light s new marketing strategy 15 rebates free beer or 14 cent cans of Budweiser Diario AS Retrieved June 2 2023 Goldstein Steve Anheuser Busch InBev share price skids as Bud Light and other Budweiser brand sales deteriorate MarketWatch Retrieved June 4 2023 Kilgore Tomi Bud Light parent Anheuser Busch s stock heads for biggest monthly selloff since the start of the COVID pandemic while shares of rivals have gained MarketWatch Retrieved June 4 2023 Bud Light sales keep slipping But it remains America s top selling beer CNN Kirchen Rich Budweiser promotes limited edition can ahead of Harley Davidson 120th celebration Milwaukee Business Journals American City Business Journals Retrieved June 4 2023 Eaton Quinn June 2023 Budweiser Gets Called Out For Pandering With New Harley Davidson Themed Beer Cans Whiskey Riff Retrieved June 4 2023 Hetzner Christiaan Bud Light only has a few months to prevent sustained market share loss warns former Anheuser Busch sales exec Fortune Retrieved June 6 2023 Mancini Jeannine June 5 2023 Bill Gates Makes Billion Dollar Bet On Heineken Just Before Budweiser Controversy Threatening The Beer Giant s Top Ranking Benzinga Yahoo Finance Retrieved June 6 2023 Brooks Khristopher J June 9 2023 Bud Light loses its footing as America s best selling beer CBS Retrieved June 9 2023 DiPalma Brooke June 6 2023 Bud Light sales keep slipping in another very weak week Yahoo Finance Retrieved June 10 2023 Derek Saul Anheuser Busch Faces Permanent 15 Decline In Bud Light Sales But Now May Be Attractive Time To Buy Stock Forbes Retrieved June 10 2023 Mancini Jeannine July 10 2023 Bud Light Plummets To 14th Place Among Beers As Anheuser Busch CEO Pleads For Consumers To Think Of The 65 000 Employees Impacted By Boycotts Benzinga Yahoo News Retrieved July 17 2023 Hetzner Christiaan Anheuser Busch will pay you 15 to drink Bud Light this July 4th Fortune Retrieved July 17 2023 Hookstead David July 17 2023 Bud Light Sales Collapse Over 4th Of July Weekend Outkick Retrieved July 17 2023 Anheuser Busch InBev S A ADR rises Monday still underperforms market MarketWatch Retrieved August 16 2023 Glover George Bud Light is winning over Americans again 4 months after its collaboration with Dylan Mulvaney sparked a conservative boycott Business Insider Retrieved August 20 2023 Anheuser Busch InBev S A ADR underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors MarketWatch Retrieved September 16 2023 O Kane Caitlin September 7 2023 Bill Gates foundation buys Anheuser Busch stock worth 95 million after Bud Light financial fallout CBS Retrieved September 8 2023 Valinsky Jordan September 6 2023 Bill Gates foundation made a nearly 100 million bet on Bud Light CNN Retrieved September 8 2023 Garfinkle Madeline September 6 2023 Bill Gates Foundation Just Made a Big Bet on Anheuser Busch and Bud Light Despite Declining Sales Entrepreneur Retrieved September 8 2023 Coggins Madeline September 6 2023 Bill Gates foundation trust making Bud Light bet is a mistake former Anheuser Busch exec says Fox Business Retrieved September 16 2023 Kline Daniel September 15 2023 Dylan Mulvaney shares a Bud Light apology you may not like it TheStreet Retrieved September 16 2023 Saul Derek Anheuser Busch Stock Notches 2nd Best Day Of 2023 Analysts Say Stock Will Climb Despite Bud Light Backlash Forbes Retrieved October 18 2023 Anheuser Busch InBev S A ADR falls Tuesday underperforms market MarketWatch Retrieved October 18 2023 Anheuser Busch InBev S A ADR underperforms Monday when compared to competitors MarketWatch Retrieved October 18 2023 Mantey David October 16 2023 Yuengling Wants in on Bud Light Fallout Unit 202 Productions Yahoo Finance Retrieved October 18 2023 Goldstein Steve Bud Light controversy continues to weigh on Anheuser Busch InBev MarketWatch Retrieved November 1 2023 Dumas Breck October 31 2023 Bud Light parent Anheuser Busch InBev s sales tumble further in US Fox Business Retrieved November 1 2023 Wiener Bronner Danielle July 21 2023 Here s how Bud Light became the latest corporate bogeyman for Ron DeSantis CNN Retrieved July 22 2023 a b Contorno Steve Wiener Bronner Danielle July 21 2023 DeSantis calls for state investment manager to consider action against Bud Light s parent company CNN Retrieved July 22 2023 Sykes Stefan Breuninger Kevin July 21 2023 DeSantis orders probe into Bud Light s deal with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney CNBC Retrieved July 22 2023 Bud Light sales slump following boycott over Anheuser Busch promotion with Dylan Mulvaney CBS News August 3 2023 Retrieved August 3 2023 Yeung Ngai July 27 2023 Bud Light Brewer Lays Off Hundreds of U S Workers Wall Street Journal Retrieved July 29 2023 Zahn Max Anheuser Busch to lay off hundreds of workers after Bud Light boycott hammers sales American Broadcasting Company Retrieved July 29 2023 Sykes Stefan July 27 2023 Bud Light maker Anheuser Busch to lay off hundreds of corporate staff CBNC Retrieved July 29 2023 Altus Kristen July 28 2023 Former Anheuser Busch exec says layoffs should ve included CEO There s no future at this company Fox Business Retrieved July 29 2023 Notheis Asher August 8 2023 Bud Light owner Anheuser Busch to sell eight labels to cannabis company Washington Examiner Retrieved August 16 2023 Jacob Denny August 7 2023 Anheuser Busch Selling Shock Top Blue Point to Cannabis Company Tilray The Wall Street Journal Retrieved August 16 2023 Murphy Aislinn August 8 2023 Anheuser Busch selling Shock Top Breckinridge to cannabis company Tilray Fox Business Retrieved August 16 2023 Rumney Emma Blenkinsop Philip Zieminski Nick September 19 2023 Brewer AB InBev signals new focus on Michelob Ultra amid light beer rivalry Reuters Retrieved September 23 2023 Poirier Abby Boomgaard Joe October 10 2023 Anheuser Busch sells Fennville s Virtue Cider back to founder Crain s Grand Rapids Crain Communications Retrieved October 18 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2023 Bud Light boycott amp oldid 1195107781, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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