One thing that has been widely enjoyed throughout the world over the years has been alcohol. It’s a slippery slope, and some are responsible and some aren’t. Beer is a beverage that contains alcohol and is enjoyed at almost every restaurant, sporting event, or anything else. One company that has been one of the largest competitors in the beer industry is Budweiser. This company was established in 1876 by Carl Conrad of St. Louis, Missouri, and it has become a large seller in the United States. The products include the classic Budweiser beer and the largely known Bud Light. People love it, and it has made billions of dollars since its creation. As of late, there has been a recent scandal that has affected the public’s interest in Bud Light and the overall profit obtained from it.

     Here recently, Budweiser has entered into a partnership with transgender Tik Tok influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The company did this because Dylan celebrated his “365 days of girlhood,” and they wanted to celebrate that. To do that, Budweiser put Dylan’s smiling face on the standard Bud Light can, commonly known as a “tall boy.” The Tik Tok star posted a video of him opening up a can, and he said “This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and bud light sent me possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it.” This decision by Budweiser was very controversial because there are many mixed opinions surrounding gender identity on either side of the political spectrum. Typically, right-winged people don’t agree with gender transitions and identities based on feelings, while left-winged people do. The partnership with Dylan Mulvaney caused a major boycott of Bud Light, and it’s apparent that the people have spoken. In total, Anheuser-Busch stock dropped 5.02% and lost $4.562 billion in market cap, according to Dow Jones Market Data Group. 

     In an effort to change the narrative before Mulvaney, the makers of Budweiser and Bud Light made a new ad campaign. It features the nostalgia of an iconic Clydesdale, galloping through all-American landscapes, with men grabbing a couple of cold ones together. That ad quickly was left in the dust as the Tik Tok star stole the spotlight in a controversial way. The drop in profit has shown that if consumers tired of everything being “woke-ified” raise their voices, the market listens. For example, Celebrities joined in. Country superstar Travis Tritt struck all Anheuser-Busch products from his tour hospitality rider. Kid Rock also blasted cases of the beer in a widely circulated target-practice video. It was apparent that he made his choice known too. A Missouri bar owner reported a 50% crash in draught sales and a 30% drop in sales of bottled Anheuser-Busch brews. This response isn’t anti-trans, but It’s anti-indoctrination. It’s built on the saying: “Don’t make my beer into your political statement.” Nowadays one can see that the most basic things are being used as a political platform. These include schools, the entertainment industry, and, as we’ve seen, beverage brands. This act by Bud Light is much bigger than partnering up with Dylan Mulvaney; it’s the introduction to a culture war that will rage on if brands like these keep making political stands. Overall, this situation is very controversial, and Budweiser is in a tough spot. 

https://nypost.com/2023/04/12/bud-lights-trans-ploy-backlash-shows-you-can-fight-big-woke/

https://abc7news.com/new-bud-light-ad-dylan-mulvaney-tiktok-anheuser-busch/13143534/

https://www.foxnews.com/media/anheuser-busch-sheds-5-billion-value-since-bud-lights-dylan-mulvaney-pact-sparked-outrage