Critics took to social media to blast Anheuser-Busch, the makers of the flagging beverage Bud Light, for airing a country-themed ad during the first round of the NFL draft that featured women sipping Bud Light while listening to Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried.”
Because of its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a showy trans influencer who says he is a woman but acts like a guy, the beer brand is in the midst of a public relations crisis. Two marketing execs have been put on indefinite administrative leave for coming up with the disastrous strategy that has caused customers to flee in droves from Bud Light. Ten million additional people have seen the NFL draft video on YouTube, but user comments have been disabled.
Zach Dean of Outkick called the movie “pure pandering.”
He added, “I almost spit out my Yuengling,” after the name of a lesser American brewery that has grown more patriotic in the wake of the scandal. Playing one of the most American tunes of my time as a few cowgirls dance in the rain won’t solve anything. Don’t treat us like fools. We’re not idiots. We’re sloshed, but we’re not dopes.
It wasn’t just Dean who didn’t care for the location.
Somebody on Twitter commented, “Bud Light’s latest ad shows cowboys and cowgirls at a rodeo where it’s starting to rain while the Zac Brown Band plays ‘Chicken Fried.'” Smart move on your part to anger them and then utilize this to win them over. Don’t be fooled by it.
When asked about the music included in the Bud Light commercials airing during the NFL Draft, one user remarked, “Anyone else notice that the Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried” is playing in the background?” They’re desperately attempting to erase the memory of their branding fiasco!
Three other people commented, “@budlight, I just noticed your ad for Chicken Fried. Simple to consume and savor, but a challenge to swallow once you’ve come to. The Zima and Whine Cooler crowd probably won’t be drinking your Clydesdale pee if that was your goal.
On April 1, Mulvaney, a guy who identifies as a woman, posted a video to his 1.8 million Instagram followers touting his connection with Bud Light. In the week ending April 15, Bud Light sales decreased 17% and 21% in volume.
After Mulvaney celebrated her 365th day as a woman this month, she revealed that Bud Light had sent her the “best gift ever”: a can of beer bearing her image.
While the transgender movement has exposed yet another schism in American politics, some of Mulvaney’s detractors have pointed out that his new persona seems more like a joke about women than a genuine attempt to find himself. Mulvaney has been working on this initiative for well over a year. He promoted it on social media by “celebrating girlhood” actions, such as sobbing and shopping, by talking about them out loud and in a loud voice. In October, Mulvaney was granted an interview with Vice President Joe Biden, a staunch advocate of pharmacological and medical therapies for persons with gender dysphoria, including youngsters.
But now it seems like hiring Mulvaney was one of the worst marketing moves Bud Light ever made.
Insights Express, a beer publication, remarked, “These numbers are mind-boggling.” Anheuser-Busch, the Bud Light brand, and AB distributors are in a tough spot. Sales of both Coors Light and Miller Lite increased by 18% over the same time period, leading Insights Express to declare that “Coors Light and Miller Lite were once again big winners.”
According to Axios, from April 2-15, Bud Light sales plummeted by 6% at about 3,000 locations employing BeerBoard’s technology after Mulvaney’s video was released.