An hour after Anheuser-Busch finally addressed the outrage over Dylan Mulvaney, its competitor Yuengling tweeted.
On Friday, when Bud Light faced criticism for working with transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney, Yuengling appeared to poke fun at the brand’s problems.
About an hour after Bud Light parent firm Anheuser-Busch released a long statement on Twitter regarding the incident, craft brewery Yuengling fired out a tweet of its own, perhaps capitalizing on the situation.
“Yuengling, America’s First Brewery. A classic lager was pictured next to the slogan “Independently Owned and Family Operated since 1829 because we make good beer.” The company has been in business since 1829.
According to Outkick Sports, the action was “perfectly timed.” Since Friday, the tweet has been viewed more than 4.5 million times.
After Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the business didn’t mean to “divide people,” Yuengling responded with a tweet of his own.
“As CEO of a firm with roots in the Midwest that go back more than 165 years, it is my duty to make every customer glad to drink our beer. We feel privileged to have contributed to the creation of this great nation. In addition to the almost 18,000 individuals directly employed by Anheuser-Busch, an additional 47,000 people are employed through our independent distributors. The company has a “proud history” of helping “communities, military, first responders, sports fans, and hard-working Americans everywhere,” Whitworth said in a statement released on Friday. We never set out to contribute to a debate that drives wedges amongst communities. We’re in the beer industry because beer brings people together.
The beer business caused a social media storm when it distributed cases of Bud Light with Mulvaney’s likeness as part of an advertisement for the company’s March Madness tournament and as a means to mark Mulvaney’s first year of “girlhood.” Consumers and some well-known people were unhappy with the choice. It remains to be seen if Anheuser-Busch recovers its lost cap and the uproar goes down, but the company reportedly lost $5 billion in market worth due to the divisive agreement.
Whitworth stated his intention to protect the firm’s pro-American culture and history.
“My service to my nation has instilled in me a sense of responsibility and a deep appreciation for the ideals of liberty, honesty, and mutual respect that are the bedrock of the American experiment. As Anheuser-Busch’s CEO, one of my main responsibilities is to preserve the company’s rich legacy. I have strong feelings for this nation, for our business, for our brands, and for our business partners. I spend a lot of time on the road in different parts of the United States, talking to and learning from our clients and distributors. The CEO said, “Going forward, I’ll keep working hard to offer exceptional beers to customers across our nation.