As a result of the controversy surrounding their partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch has severed connections with the advertising agency at the center of the matter.
According to the New York Post, the service is no longer employed by Anheuser-Busch. A message to the company’s distributors verified this information. At the end of April, both the vice president of marketing for Bud Light, Alissa Heinerscheid, and the director of marketing for popular brands at Anheuser-Busch, Daniel Blake, took leaves of absence.
Mulvaney was provided with a single, one-of-a-kind can that he utilized for two separate blog entries. According to Bump Williams Consulting, a Connecticut firm that works in the alcoholic beverage industry, Bud Light sales were down 21% for the week ending on April 15 following the posts and down 26.1% for the week of April 17-22.
Anheuser-Busch was criticized for allegedly paying off its suppliers and frontline employees. Since Anheuser-Busch joined forces with Mulvaney, many workers have faced a pay cut. This includes delivery drivers, independent carriers, and sales representatives.
To repair its relationship with conservative customers, Anheuser-Busch also retained the services of Origin Advocacy, a lobbying firm with deep ties to the Republican Party in Congress.