Is Bud Light trying to be “too woke”?

Paige Blakemore Staff Writer

Recently, Bud Light, an American beer company, sought to be more inclusive by featuring trans TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney in an advertisement.

Mulvaney posted a video on the platform dressed as Holly Golightly from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” while promoting a sweepstakes challenge for the company as well as Mulvaney’s face on a can of beer.

The video received widespread backlash, with many far-right conservatives threatening to boycott the best-selling beer company and accusing the brand of not recognizing its audience.

Some have even gone as far as to post videos of themselves shooting their already purchased cans of beer, including singer-songwriter Kid Rock.

Within recent years, Bud Light has experienced a decline in sales, as younger consumers have turned to popular seltzer brands, such as White Claw and Truly.

“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” said Brendon Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company.

Since the controversy happened, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, has taken a leave of absence, as has An- heuser-Busch marketing executive Daniel Blake.

Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch have failed to show further inclusivity amidst the backlash.

Many are left questioning how companies strive for inclusivity and how it can exclude other groups during the process.

Similarly, in 2018, Nike experienced a boycott campaign when featuring football player Colin Kaepernick in an advertisement after he kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality. Since then, Nike’s stock has risen 51%.

“Not being inclusive is also taking a stand, almost,” said Mikkel Christensen, an assis- tant professor of strategic communication at GC. “I don’t know how huge companies can really prepare themselves for such backlash.”

Christensen is interested in seeing how the backlash affects Bud Light’s future sales.

“The perception of so many is that they have done wrong, and that’s what they have to face,” Christensen said. “That’s where the boycott comes in. Usually, those things go back to normal, but once in a while, there are exceptions. I think it will be really interesting to see what happens.”

According to CNN, Bud Light’s sales fell 17% during the week of April 15. During the same week, rival beer companies Coors Light and Miller Lite experienced an 18% increase.

“It’s so scary that one little advertisement is causing a multi-million brand to not only lose money but have to deal with crazy people sending death threats,” said Grace Greer, freshman public health major.

Greer believes, because of social media’s wide reach, modern advertisements attract far more hateful individuals than those seen on cable television.

“Since TikTok is a huge form of media now, it reaches all different types of communities rather than your normal advertising,”

Greer said. “I hope this doesn’t dampen the future of inclusivity, but it really could. I don’t think it’s a beer problem; it’s a bigotry problem.”

Despite the backlash, some felt that Bud Light was making progressive steps forward and should continue to do so.

“It’s not fair when everything is just a cis white man everywhere, because then people of other cultures and sizes don’t feel like they can participate or feel included,” said Gini Peña, sophomore exercise major.

“Companies like Target and Aerie do it very well.”