Anheuser-Busch CEO breaks silence after Bud Light’s Dylan Mulvaney controversy

The US CEO of Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch has broken his silence to address polarization over the company’s marketing. co-operation with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

“It was never our intention to be part of a discussion that divides people,” CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a public statement Friday.

‘It’s our job to bring people together over a beer.’

Aside from an initial succinct statement, Anheuser-Busch had remained silent since the controversy erupted on April 1, when conservative Bud Light fans questioned why Mulvaney had been tapped to promote the best-selling beer on a TikTok channel she created to promote her gender transition. to capture.

Meanwhile, the controversy took on a bizarre life of its own, with musician Kid Rock posting a video of him shooting Bud Light cases, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt publicly denouncing the brand.

And there has been backlash, with shock jock Howard Stern labeling the anger at Bud Light overblown, and podcaster Joe Rogan calling the conservative outrage at Mulvaney “goofy.”

Whitworth issued this public statement on Friday, two weeks after the controversy

Bud Light caused a backlash after it teamed up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. She was spotted in Los Angeles on Friday

The decision to partner with Mulvaney surprised many analysts.

“I just don’t understand why they hired the person who did the marketing,” said Ted Jenkin, CEO of Oxygen Financial, which he founded to provide 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, it doesn’t make any sense.”

In his statement on Friday, Whitworth, a former Navy lieutenant, CIA officer and Harvard Business School graduate, did not directly discuss the partnership with Mulvaney or offer an apology.

Instead, he signaled that he wanted to move away from divisive topics, saying, “It’s my responsibility to make sure every consumer is proud of the beer we brew.”

He continued, “My time serving this country taught me the importance of responsibility and the values ​​on which America is founded: freedom, hard work, and respect for each other. 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 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.”

Until Friday, Anheuser-Busch’s only comment on the matter was a single statement confirming that the Bud Light cans featuring Mulvaney’s face were a personal gift to the influencer and not for sale to the public.

“Anheuser-Busch is partnering with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences from a variety of demographics,” said last week’s statement.

“From time to time we produce unique commemorative tins for fans and for brand influencers, such as Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative tin 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 said she drank a beer with her face pressed to the can and lay in a bathtub knocking Bud Light back

Meanwhile, as the social media controversy exploded, the major social media accounts of Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch fell silent, despite major sporting events of the kind the brand typically covers.

Earlier on Friday, political communications consultant and pollster Frank Luntz told DailyMail.com he had doubts about the strategy.

“In the age of social media, silence in the business is admitting guilt. You are not forgiven for a mistake without explanation or at least proper context,” Luntz said.

“If you party 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 quiet on social media is probably the right move” for Anheuser-Busch in this case, saying that “social media algorithms never favor the company that going through the crisis. ‘

“Any Budweiser post at this point will only lead to a deluge of positive and negative comments, which will only remind the public that there is a controversy going on,” Braud told DailyMail.com on Thursday.

Braud said he advises all of his clients to hold focus groups before launching new initiatives that could anger their core clients.