Anheuser-Busch CEO breaks silence after Bud Light's partnership with trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney drew backlash: 'We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people'

Daily Mail UK ^ | April 14, 2023

[Morgana]

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.'

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.

[txeagle]

Maybe not intentionally, but it is in the DNA of every effeminate C-Suite suckup that comes from a single-mother household these days.

[txeagle]

The directors of the firm hired to improve beer sales after the other people had been sacked, wish it to be known that they have just been sacked. Beer marketing has been completed in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute.

[Third Person]

Bud light is horrible poisonous swill...lousy beer produced almost exclusively for consumption by the moronic masses

[Secret Agent Man]

Why do they all lie?

They hever thought it would backfire on them, thats why.

Can’t be honest.

[snoringbear]

Ditto.
Don’t like Bud, never did and don’t now. When I want a beer it’s Miller High Life or Coors.

[Reynoldo]

“ The only division was between your customer base and your product. Other than that, the $6.7 billion loss in sales is hardly worth mentioning. “

Whoa — $6 billion in sales ?
That would be about $20 for every man, woman and child in the USA!

[joma89]

I say stop purchasing any AB product ever again. I won’t.

[norwaypinesavage]

The vast majority of people in the world know that someone born a male can never become a female. Any brewer that tries to shove that lie down my throat can never again be trusted to make a good beer. It’s as simple as that. Bye!

[simpson96]

'We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people'

Effing liar. No one is that stupid.

[CFW]

“’We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,’”

____

Such statement makes one wonder why they hired a far leftist Marketing Manager to oversee their brand advertising? Did they not realize what they were inviting into their corporation?

Of course they did!

A more correct statement would be, “We never intended for our usual consumers to notice as we bowed down to the leftist narrative. We didn’t even know they could read!”

AB would have done better to just stay silent.

[CFW]

“Effing liar. No one is that stupid.”

___

It shows what they think of their previous consumers, doesn’t it?

We are heading into week three of the back-lash against AB. The issue still remains a front page issue on almost every media site. We will learn early next week if bar pours and orders, along with package and grocery store restocks are still down, or if Bud Light drinkers have returned to the brand.

I said earlier that if the back-lash and reduction in product sales continues through this weekend, AB is in serious trouble in regards to this quarter’s earnings. Given the continued media attention to the issue, I suspect they are.

[Bikkuri]

I’ll have to check and see if there is any Asahi Super Dry locally..

[Colorado Doug]

The only way out for them at this point is to run blatantly sexist and epic Frat Party beer commercials with many bikini models. I recommend that they hire Lazamataz as a consultant. He is far more qualified than Heinerscheid for such an add campaign. Morgana, you have every right to lobby for beefcake, wild sorority versions of said add campaign. Let’s keep the drunken debauchery binary though please.

[VideoDoctor]

We're witnessing just another "IDIOT" educated beyond their intelligence.

A GOOD marketing director usually finds a way to PRESERVE the existing market while trying to establish a new or additional market volume.

This young lady shows you clearly HOW to DESTROY not only your existing market but the fallout onto OTHER AB brands is going to grow as well.

Like I said.. "Educated beyond her INTELLIGENCE."

[VideoDoctor]

Sound right?

I didn't get all that. You were drowned out by a "Call to Prayer" MplsSteve.

[GOPJ]

'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.

Well, if the brand is in decline maybe the beer's crap.

[Pilsner]

Well, if the brand is in decline maybe the beer's crap.

The quality of the beer is of scant importance. Let Mr. Adolf Norbecker, President of Norbecker Brewing Company, explain to you the secret of success when selling beer.

"When my grandfather founded this business in Germany, 87 years ago, he knew the secret of a successful beer. He knew it was not in the hops. No. It was not in the aging. No."

"Do you know in what is the secret of a successful beer? The secret of a successful beer...IS ADVERTISING!"

"-You see... all beer is essentially the same. It is all fermented, piss-colored water. Hmm? "

[Billthedrill]

NO!! Blasphemy!!! Some of it is...darker...

[NorthMountain]

We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,'

Baloney.

I never drank Butt Light.

I used to drink Stella Artois (one of their other brands). No longer.

[Jimmy Valentine]

You would be correct if this were not so damaging. Heinersheid should slowly and publicly die a corporate death of 1,000 cuts, e.g. take away the perks and benefits, small office, loss of all authority, and treatment as a social leper. Heavy weeding of the marketing department, new ad agency, and a rebranding emphasizing traditional values,