What we know about Captiv8, the ad agency responsible for the Bud Light campaign
A California-based marketing agency, Captiv8, which introduced TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney to Bud Light is reportedly in “serious panic mode”.
The backlash against Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch rages on weeks after a video went viral from their partnership with Dylan Mulvaney. In a post on TikTok on 1 April, the trans influencer showed off personalized Bud Light cans with her picture on them.
The reaction was swift from offended customers with videos going viral on social media of people destroying cases of the beer and calling for a boycott of the St Louis-based brewery. Sales of Bud Light have plummeted along with other Anheuser-Busch brands driving down the companies stock price.
Captiv8, the marketing agency which introduced Mulvaney to Bud Light, is reportedly in “serious panic mode” according to the New York Post. However, it hasn’t been determined exactly how much of a hand, if any, the company based in the San Francisco Bay area had in the ad campaign partnership between the TikToker and Bud Light.
What we know about Captiv8, the ad agency responsible for the Bud Light campaign
Captiv8, based in San Mateo, California, says it was founded to “empower brands & creators to harness the data-science behind authentic storytelling” on its website. The marketing agency was co-founded eight years ago by CEO Krishna Subramanian, who is a Silicon Valley investor. He is no stranger to the world of digital advertising having sold BlueLithium, an online ad network, to Yahoo for $300 million in 2007.
The company provides tools and service to aid in running “high-performing influencer marketing campaigns.” Their mission is to “streamline” influencer marketing operations so that companies can increase their return on marketing investment. It helps companies discovery influencers and affiliate marketing campaigns.
The company says that its database contains over 1 million influencers across a range of social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. According to Zippia, it employs a little over 100 people and generates roughly $1.5 million in revenue.
The company was rated the #1 Enterprise Leader for Influencer Marketing by G2, a business solutions review website, in early April according to a press release. Captiv8 also received the Best Influencer Marketing award at the Influencer Marketing Awards in 2022.