It has been claimed that ‘no one at a senior level’ knew about the brand’s partnership with controversial TikToker, Dylan Mulvaney. As a result of which, parent company Anheuser-Busch (AB) has lost $6 billion in the last week.
The Trans activist, 26, who gained millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram after transitioning into ‘girlhood,’ sparked controversy when brands like Nike and Bud Light announced her as their new spokesperson.
Earlier this month, Dylan shared a promotional video for Bud Lights on her Instagram and told her 1.8 million followers that she was ‘so proud’ to be the brand’s newest spokesperson.
The posts received massive outrage and critical remarks from conservatives who accused the brands of pushing ‘gender propaganda’ per New York Post.
“Fellow trans woman Caitlyn Jenner slammed Nike for going ‘woke,’ and country music singer John Rich pulled cases of Bud Light from his Nashville bar.”
As reported by Daily Mail, “The partnership unveiled on April 1 drew intense backlash from some quarters, with musician Kid Rock posting a video of himself shooting at cases of Bud Light, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt dropping ties with the brand.”
“On the other side of the debate, podcaster Joe Rogan and shock jock Howard Stern have both slammed the furious backlash as overblown, with Rogan saying: ‘I think it’s goofy.’”
But now, two sources close to the controversy have revealed to The Daily Wire that no senior person at the company knew that a brand partnership was made with the Trans activist.
“No one at a senior level was aware this was happening,” one source revealed.
“Some low-level marketing staffer who helps manage the hundreds of influencer engagements they do must have thought it was no big deal. Obviously it was, and it’s a shame because they have a well-earned reputation for just being America’s beer — not a political company. It was a mistake.”
According to a second source, “the company was likely going to implement a more “robust” process for evaluating controversial figures in the future to avoid another public relations nightmare.”
The brand promotional post was shared by Dylan, a biologically male individual who began his transition from man to woman in 2021. On his social media – TikTok and Instagram, they boast 10.8 million and 1.8 million followers, respectively.
“Happy March Madness!! Just found out this had to do with sports, and not just saying it’s a crazy month! In celebration of this sports thing @budlight is giving you the chance to win $15,000! Share a video with #EasyCarryContest for a chance to win!! Good luck! #budlightpartner,” the caption read.
Since then, both Mulvaney and the beer brand have received massive backlash on social media. Amid the outrage, the brand’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch (AB) has lost billions of dollars.
However, AB chose to support Bud Light’s decision to team up with Dylan to make the brand ‘more inclusive’ and describe it as an attempt to “authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points.”
“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,” the statement read.
“From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: New York Post – Daily Mail – The Daily Wire
