Headline Roundup May 9, 2023
Anheuser-Busch CEO Knocks 'Misinformation' After Bud Light Controversy
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris criticized social media "misinformation" after the company's controversial marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Key Details: Doukeris told the Financial Times that social media played a major role in fueling the controversy. He said that Bud Light's public image has been ruined, and that sales have dropped because of "misinformation and confusion" about a can of Bud Light with Mulvaney's face printed on it that the influencer then promoted on social media. The can was never supposed to be sold to the public, according to Doukeris.
Key Quote: "The reality is no longer what the fact is, but is more [about] what the comments were," said Doukeris.
For Context: On May 5, Doukeris said the partnership with Mulvaney was not a formal campaign, but rather a single Instagram post. A week earlier, two executives at Bud Light took leaves of absence in apparent connection to fallout from the controversy. In the week ended April 29, Bud Light had in-store sales of $71.6 million, down 23.4% from the same week in 2022.
How the Media Covered it: Sources across the spectrum covered Doukeris's comments, with some left-rated sources focusing more on Doukeris's remarks about it being "too early" to judge the impact of the controversy on Bud Light's business. Right-rated sources focused more on how sales of the beer have fallen in recent weeks.
Featured Coverage of this Story
BELGA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
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...
Superstar via Shutterstock
That was the term the CEO of Anheuser-Busch’s parent company used to explain the hangover from Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris told the Financial Times that Bud Light sales have dropped and the brand’s public image ruined because of “misinformation and confusion” about a can of Bud Light emblazoned with Ms. Mulvaney’s face.
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“We never intended to make it for general production and sale for the public,” he said of the Bud Light can.
“People often talk about this topic...
Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris addressed the Bud Light controversy in the company’s earnings call Thursday, saying it’s “too early to have a full view” of the impact of sponsoring an Instagram post by transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“The Bud Light volume decline in the US over the first three weeks of April, as publicly reported, would represent around 1% of our overall global volumes for that period,” Doukeris said on the call. He focused attention on the company’s global reach, saying that Bud Light is just one beer within its portfolio...
