Bud Light Executive Says Misinformation Drove Controversy: Mulvaney Campaign Was ‘Not An Advertisement’
Business,LGBTQ Issues,Anheuser-Busch,Michel Doukeris
The CEO of Bud Light’s parent company blamed online misinformation for the controversy surrounding its marketing with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, in an interview with the Financial Times, doubling down on a strategy to distance the beer brand from a political controversy that sunk sales volumes in the U.S. over the past month.
Bud Light partnered with Mulvaney by creating a beer can with her face on it, which she shared in March with her 10 million TikTok followers, using the hashtag #budlightpartner—but executives have said “misinformation” and a misunderstanding of the campaign has fueled the intense controversy that followed.
Michel Doukeris, the CEO of Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch InBev, told the Financial Times that social media played a major role in fueling controversy about Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney: “The reality is no longer what the fact is, but is more [about]
Doukeris’ interview echoes comments he made during a call with investors on Thursday, when he said Mulvaney’s post “was not an advertisement” and the beer can with her likeness was not intended to be widely produced for sale to the public.
