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US Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said new summer advertising will reinforce “what you always loved” about Bud Light.Associated Press
Anheuser-Busch’s US CEO outlined the steps the brand is taking to alleviate the Bud Light backlash.
The brand has angered some conservatives since it teamed up with a transgender influencer for a promotion.
This week, Bud Light lost its title of top-selling beer brand in the US.
The US CEO of Bud Light owner Anheuser-Busch has released a statement outlining steps the company is taking to mitigate the backlash the brand has faced over the past two months since a single promotion featuring a transgender influencer .
“Over the past two months, the discussion around our company and Bud Light has evolved beyond beer, impacting our consumers, our business partners and our employees,” wrote Brendan Whitworth in the explanation.
To mitigate the impact of Anheuser-Busch’s employees and business partners, Whitworth said the company will provide financial assistance to the beer brand’s independent wholesalers to support their employees.
Whitworth also addressed Bud Light customers directly: “We hear you. Our summer ad starts next week and you can look forward to Bud Light reinforcing what you’ve always loved about our brand: that it’s easy drinkable and easy to enjoy.”
The statement follows months of backlash the Bud Light brand has faced some conservatives since it teamed up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney on a promotion featuring a custom Bud Light beer can featuring Mulvaney’s face, which was given to her but never sold in stores.
In the video, Mulvaney, 26, talked about a March Madness contest sponsored by Bud Light, and how she celebrated her “day 365 of being a woman.” She said the beer cans, including the one with a custom design of her face, were sent to her by the brand to celebrate her one-year transition.
Since April 1, when Mulvaney posted the video, the effects of the backlash have plagued the brand: Bud Light executives have been sent on leave; employees and distributors have reported incidents of harassment from customers and lost sales; and has the anti-LGBTQ+ backlash spread to other brands.
a decline in Bud Light sales has persisted. Earlier this week, the Bud Light beer brand was released relinquished the title of best-selling beer brand in the US to Modelo Especial beer, after sales of the beer brand fell 23% in May, according to data collected by consumer behavior research firm Circana and shared with Insider.
Read the original article Business Insider
