POLITICS
Why Budweiser’s boycott is a crisis for the brand: conservative backlash over transgender ad
The right-wing boycott against a transgender influencer featuring in a Bud Light has led to a decrease in sales of the beer.
Budweiser is facing a poorer-than-expected sales month thanks to conservative opposition to a new advert. The paid advert featured transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, with the company sending a personalised can of Bud Light to commemorate 365 days since her gender transition.
However, the action prompted a rebuke from conservatives that is hurting sales of Budweiser products. Analysts say these sales drops are due to the advert due to other comparable companies posting healthy sales.
According to data from Bump Williams Consulting, parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev sold $71.5 million worth of Bud Light in the week ending 29 April, a 23% drop compared to a year ago. Budweiser sales totaled $31.5 million that same week, down roughly 11%.
Analysts descibed the month as a “crisis”.
Why is the boycott happening in the first place?
Budweiser has been met with conservative backlash after the decision to partner with transgender Tiktok Dylan Mulvaney in an advert.
The TikTok star posted a video promoting the Bud Light’s March Madness contest which gave customers the chance to win $15,000, and the company also sent the influencer a can with her likeness to commemorate one year since she transitioned genders.
Conservatives have taken the opportunity to attack a publicly visible transgender person by boycotting the brand. Biden administration press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of a bomb threat against one of the brewery’s facilities that “violence and vitriol against transgender Americans has to stop.”
Budweiser distancing themselves from the advert has also irked supporters of Mulvaney, who see the retraction of the company as a capitulation to the right-wing.