Image Source: Brandonrush, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Was the Accusation?
Anheuser-Busch and its Bud Light brand faced intense public backlash in April 2023 after transgender social-media personality Dylan Mulvaney posted sponsored content promoting Bud Light. The company had sent Mulvaney a personalized can bearing her image to recognize the first anniversary of her public gender transition. The promotion was limited in scope and appeared on Mulvaney’s social-media account, but it quickly became the focus of a larger political and cultural dispute. Conservative consumers and public figures criticized Bud Light for partnering with a transgender spokesperson, calls for a boycott spread online, and musician Kid Rock posted a widely circulated video showing him shooting cases of Bud Light. The controversy soon developed into a significant reputational and commercial crisis for the brand.
On April 14, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth responded with a statement titled “Our Responsibility to America.” Rather than directly naming Mulvaney, defending the promotion, repudiating it, or explicitly apologizing for it, Whitworth emphasized Anheuser-Busch’s American heritage, employees, distributors and history of supporting communities, the military, first responders and sports fans. He said the company had never intended to participate in a discussion that divided people and declared that its business was bringing people together over beer. The response drew criticism from different sides of the controversy: some boycott supporters regarded it as an inadequate response to their objections, while LGBTQ supporters criticized the company for failing to publicly defend Mulvaney.
The controversy continued after Whitworth’s initial statement. Bud Light lost its position as America’s best-selling beer during the sales decline that followed the boycott. Mulvaney later said that Bud Light had not contacted her while she experienced months of harassment and anti-transgender abuse. In a June 28 interview on CBS Mornings, Whitworth accepted responsibility for the impact of the controversy, said Bud Light should bring people together rather than become part of a divisive social debate, reaffirmed the company’s longstanding support for LGBTQ organizations and described efforts to assist employees, wholesalers and distributors affected by the declining sales. He nevertheless declined to say directly whether the Mulvaney promotion had been a mistake.
Key Apologia Strategies:
Good Intentions, Bolstering, Corrective Action, Attacking the Accuser
Video
Transcript
Brendan Whitworth’s “Our Responsibility to America” Statement (April 14, 2023):
As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.
We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.
We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.
My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.
I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others.
Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation.
Brendan Whitworth
CEO, Anheuser-Busch
Excerpts from Brendan Whitworth’s CBS Mornings Interview (June 28, 2023):
“It’s been a challenging few weeks. I think the conversation surrounding Bud Light has moved away from beer, and the conversation has become divisive. And Bud Light really doesn’t belong there. Bud Light should be all about bringing people together.”
“One thing I’d love to make extremely clear is that impact is my responsibility and as the CEO, everything we do here I’m accountable for.”
“There’s a big social conversation taking place right now, and big brands are right in the middle of it and it’s not just our industry or Bud Light. It’s happening in retail, happening in fast food. And so for us what we need to understand – deeply understand and appreciate – is the consumer and what they want, what they care about and what they expect from big brands.”
“Bud Light has supported LGBTQ since 1998, so that’s 25 years and as we’ve said from the beginning, we’ll continue to support the communities and organizations that we’ve supported for decades.”
“As we move forward, you know, we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble in listening to them, making sure that we do right by our employees, take care and support our partners and ultimately make an impact in the communities that we serve.”
