Transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney proposed an idea for a Western-themed Bud Light commercial following the backlash the brand received after making him a brand partner.
Mulvaney discussed becoming the target of “hate and vitriol” after he partnered with Bud Light and sparked a nationwide boycott that impacted its parent company, Anheuser-Busch.
The TikTok influencer, who became popular for documenting his transition process in the “Days of Girlhood” video series, said companies should forge true partnerships with trans-identified spokespersons rather than engaging in “performative” marketing catered to those groups.
“If you’re going to ask us to capitalize on our vulnerabilities and our traumas, at least have our backs when the going gets tough,” Mulvaney told Seth Matlins, managing director of the Forbes CMO Network, at the 2023 Forbes CMO Summit in Miami. Their conversation occurred in front of a crowd of other marketing executives, the outlet reported.
The influencer mentioned feeling “personally guilty” for what happened, then went on to propose an idea for a Bud Light commercial. Mulvaney said hiring trans-identifying people “should not be political.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
Mulvaney pitched a commercial set in a western saloon, the outlet wrote. The narrative would involve a “trans woman” on one side of the saloon and a famous cowboy coming in the door. The camera would zoom in on the trans person in high heels and the celebrity in cowboy boots walking toward each other. The camera would pan out, showing them cracking a beer together and delivering the line, “There’s room for all of us beer drinkers in this town.”
After partnering with Mulvaney earlier this year, Bud Light rapidly lost market share as it struggled to rehabilitate its image.
In the first week of the controversy, Bud Light sales decreased 11%, and its stock plunged 20% by the beginning of June. Sales drops persisted over the summer as the boycott kept going strong.
Anheuser-Busch’s overall U.S. revenue was down 10.5% in the second quarter of 2023 (April to June) compared to the same period in 2022, and the company’s sales to U.S. retailers fell 14% by early August. By June, Bud Light had been dethroned as America’s best-selling beer by the Mexican beer brand Modelo.
The marketing executive who decided to partner with Mulvaney was let go from the company. Anheuser-Busch tried to soothe ruffled feathers with CEO Brendan Whitworth telling customers in mid-April, “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” and “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”