The US CEO of Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch has broken his silence to address polarization over the company’s marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
‘We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,’ said CEO Brendan Whitworth in a public statement issued on Friday.
‘We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.’
Aside from an initial terse statement, Anheuser-Busch had remained silent since the controversy emerged on April 1, when conservative Bud Light fans questioned why Mulvaney had been tapped to promote the bestselling beer on a TikTok channel she created to document her gender transition.
In the meantime, the controversy took on a bizarre life of its own, with musician Kid Rock posting a video of himself shooting at cases of Bud Light, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt publicly denouncing the brand.
And there has been counter-backlash, with shock jock Howard Stern slamming the fury at Bud Light as overblown, and podcaster Joe Rogan calling the conservative outrage over Mulvaney ‘goofy.’
Anheuser-Busch is led by US CEO Brendan Whitworth, a former Marine lieutenant, CIA officer, and Harvard Business School graduate, who joined A-B in 2014
Whitworth issued this public statement on Friday, two weeks into the controversy
Bud Light sparked backlash after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. She was spotted out in Los Angeles on Friday
On the eve of Mulvaney’s announcement of the partnership, Alissa Heinerscheid, the vice president of marketing for Bud Light, said she wanted to make the brand less ‘fratty’.
‘I’m a businesswoman, I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was ‘This brand is in decline, it’s been in a 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,’ she told a podcast.
She also condemned the company’s previous branding, saying: ‘We had this hangover, I mean Bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty, kind of out-of-touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach.’
The decision to partner with Mulvaney bemused many analysts.
‘I simply don’t understand why they hired the person who was doing the marketing,’ said Ted Jenkin, CEO of Oxygen Financial, which he founded to offer financial services to business owners and high net worth individuals across America.
He told Fox News Digital: ‘I mean, if your target customer is Kid Rock, and then all of a sudden you decide to go to RuPaul, that just doesn’t make any sense at all.’
In his statement on Friday, Whitworth, a former Marine lieutenant, CIA officer, and Harvard Business School graduate, did not directly address the Mulvaney partnership or issue an apology.
Instead, he signaled a desire to move away from divisive subjects, saying: ‘I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.’
He continued: ‘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.’
Until Friday, Anheuser-Busch’s only comment on the matter had been a single statement confirming the Bud Light cans showing Mulvaney’s face were a personal gift to the influencer, and not for sale to the public.
‘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 last week said.
‘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,’ the company added.
Mulvaney’s April 1 Instagram post included her drinking a beer with her face printed on the can and lying in a bathtub knocking back Bud Light
Meanwhile, as the controversy exploded over social media, Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch’s main social media accounts fell silent, despite major sporting events of the kinds the brand typically chimes in on.
Earlier on Friday, political communications consultant and pollster Frank Luntz told DailyMail.com he had misgivings about the strategy.
‘In the age of social media, corporate silence is admitting guilt. You won’t be forgiven for a mistake without an explanation or at least proper context,’ said Luntz.
‘If you celebrate or associate with extreme people, be prepared for a backlash from mainstream people,’ he added.
On the other hand, crisis communications expert Gerard Braud had argued that ‘going silent on social media is likely the right move’ for Anheuser-Busch in this case, saying ‘algorithms on social media are never in favor of the company experiencing the crisis.’
‘Any post by Budweiser at this point will only trigger an onslaught of comments positive and negative, which only reminds the audience that a controversy is underway,’ Braud told DailyMail.com on Thursday.
Braud said he advises all of his clients to conduct focus groups before launching new initiatives that might anger their core customers.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk