Anheuser-Busch’s CEO has continued to shift blame for the Dylan Mulvaney fiasco, claiming that “misinformation” on social media prompted the Bud Light boycott, which caused sales to drop 26 percent.
Michel Doukeris reiterated his claims that transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney was never a partner of the American beer company and said that cans with her face would never be available for sale to the general public.
He blamed “misinformation and disinformation” spread online to lead people to believe that cans with Mulvaney’s face were being put up for sale in the US when only one souvenir can had been produced and sent to the influence to celebrate the one-year anniversary to celebrate her. transition from male to female.
It’s just the latest excuse Anheuser-Busch executives have made for the disastrous ad, having previously said it was created by an outside ad agency and that no one at the company knew about the campaign — despite the resignation. from two Bud Light marketing executives in the aftermath.
Doukeris told the Financial times on the weekend: “People often talk about this topic on social media like noise.
‘You have one fact and everyone has an opinion behind it. And then the opinions quickly start to be replicated on every comment.
“By the time 10 or 20 people post a comment, the reality isn’t what the fact is anymore, it’s more (about) what the comments were.”
The global CEO added: “It was never our intention to make it for general production and sale to the public…it was one post. It wasn’t an advertisement.’
Michel Doukeris, the global CEO of Anheuser Busch, has again tried to play down the ongoing controversy over Dylan Mulvaney
Mulvaney is pictured wearing her Bud Light cans as part of the now infamous stunt
Doukas explained what he thought happened when the “misinformation” surfaced, continuing: “But as the rumor spread that it was a campaign, there were videos of billboards showing the Dylan Mulvaney look digitally and ’10 million people (were) watching and commenting.’
“That had nothing to do with Bud Light, it was just pure social media creation,” he said.
The comments came just a week after Doukeris told investors, “We need to clarify the facts that this was one camp, one influencer, one post and not a campaign.
“We will continue to learn, meet the moment in time, all be stronger and we will work tirelessly to do what we do best: bring people together over a beer and create a future of more cheer.”
But in a letter Gray Eagle, which distributes Anheuser-Busch products around St. Louis, sent to retailers, bars and restaurants, executives said the ad campaign was created and approved by a third-party ad agency working with Bud Light.
It read: “Anheuser-Busch did not intend to create controversy or make a political statement.
“In reality, the Bud Light post was made by a social media influencer who started all the conversation, provided by an outside agency without Anheuser-Busch management’s knowledge or approval.
“Since then, the lack of oversight and control over marketing decisions has been addressed and a new VP of Bud Light marketing has been announced.”
Mulvaney received a special tin with her face to mark the one-year anniversary of her transition from male to female
In the aftermath of the ad, the company announced that its vice president of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, had taken a leave of absence and its vice president for mainstream brand, Daniel Blake, was stepping down.
The company said both bosses had “decided” to step down temporarily, but their decisions were reportedly not voluntary.
‘Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take leave, which we support. Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence,” the company said.
But the decision came after it was revealed that Heinerschied gave an interview to a business podcast in which she said she wanted to make Bud Light less “fratty” and more “inclusive.”
Just two days later, Mulvaney – who began transitioning to female in 2021 – announced she was partnering with the company.
And by April 14, US CEO Brendan Whitworth was apologizing to consumers angry about the apparent collaboration.
“It was never our intention to be part of a discussion that divides people. Our job is to bring people together over a beer,” he said in a statement.
He added, “My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values on which America is founded: freedom, hard work, and respect for each other.”
“I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners,” he added.
“I spend much of my time traveling across America listening and learning from our customers, distributors and others. Going forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our country.”
Chicago gay bar 2Bears Tavern Group announced Thursday that they will no longer be serving Bud Light. Pictured: 2Bears Tavern on Argyle Street
In her video posted to TikTok in early April, Mulvaney was seen drinking Bud Light with the hashtag #budlightpartner.
It implies she was paid for the partnership, despite the brewing giants now claiming the beer can and social media posts were not intended “for production or sale to the general public.”
It’s unclear how much Mulvaney was paid to promote the drink, with gay bars and LGBT beer drinkers now joining conservatives in abandoning Bud Light.
Contrary to right-wingers who believe Mulvaney should never have been chosen as the face of the campaign, LGBT supporters say Bud Light acted sloppily in throwing her to the wolves when the controversy reached a fever pitch.
In the wake of the video, Anheuser-Busch lost more than $6 billion in market cap in just six days.
Shares of the beer giants traded roughly just over a 5 percent drop in total share value and the company’s market capitalization was $113.33 billion.
And in the first week after the video was posted, Bud Light sales were down 6 percent, while Coors Light was up 3.5 percent and Miller Lite was up 3.1 percent.
Singer Kid Rock even posted a video of him opening fire on several cases of their beer as their sales dropped 17 percent the week of April 18.
In comparison, Coors Light saw sales increase by 10.6 percent, while Miller Lite made even more profit with a sales increase of 11.5 percent.
Then, between April 2 and April 15, Beer Board says total Bud Light sales volume in bars and restaurants dropped 34.7 percent.
Now in its second week of controversy, Bud Light has dropped to the fourth spot of most popular beer on tap, losing out to Coors Light.
Kid Rock was among those outraged by Mulvaney’s look, filming himself firing a shotgun at Bud Light in response
In a Thursday earnings call, Doukeris said Anheuser-Busch’s revenue fell 26 percent after reporting first-quarter profit of $1.65 billion, which beat Wall Street expectations.
The brewer posted sales of $14.21 billion in that period, which also beat forecasts, with shares up 6 percent year-to-date and 12 percent in 12 months.
The brand’s sales decline, Doukeris said, represented just 1 percent of the brewer’s global volumes.
He notes that it is “too early” to comment on the impact for the year.
In the meantime, he said, the company is providing “direct financial support” to frontline workers affected by the boycott.
And over the course of the summer, Doukeris promised, Bud Light will triple its marketing in an effort to win back drinkers.
During a podcast appearance last month, days before the Mulvaney partnership was announced, Heinerscheid said Bud Light was on the wane when she took over last summer, but planned to right the ship in the coming months.
Meanwhile, gay bars in Chicago have pledged not to sell Bud Light in the wake of Doukeris’ statements decrying Anheuser-Busch’s involvement with Mulvaney.
The four-location Windy City bar, 2Bears Tavern Group, denounced Anheuser-Busch after the company “abandoned” their support of 26-year-old Mulvaney on Thursday.
It then referred to Doukeris’ response as “cruel” and “hateful” while insisting that the beer company was simply fed with “anti-trans” criticism.
“Anheuser-Busch’s decision to discontinue its support of Mulvaney in response to ignorant and hateful objections from some of its clients demonstrates how little Anheuser-Busch cares about the LGBTQIA+ community, and specifically transgender people, who are in this country under constant attack. ,” the bar wrote in a statement.
CEO Brendan Whitworth’s excuse that Anheuser-Busch “never intended to be part of a divisive discussion” amounted to claiming that the rights and safety of transgender people are issues worthy of debate. ‘
The group will also discontinue other Anheuser-Busch brands, including Busch Light and Goose Island 312.