Anheuser-Busch continues to sustain the financial consequences of a decision by its subsidiary brand Bud Light to highlight a transgender social media influencer in a recent marketing campaign.
The move to feature Dylan Mulvaney in online posts and on a special edition was met with widespread criticism from the beer’s once-loyal drinkers and the value of its parent company shed billions of dollars in the days that followed.
One of its competitors seemed to identify an opportunity to reach some of those disaffected beer drinkers and posted an unambiguously pro-American tweet.
Despite having a much smaller social media footprint than Bud Light, the Yuengling post went viral and has been viewed just under 5 million times as of this writing.
Yuengling, The Oldest Brewery In America. Independently Owned and Family Operated since 1829 because we make good beer. pic.twitter.com/5TdmGiUc5R
— Yuengling Brewery (@yuenglingbeer) April 14, 2023
The post was inundated with supportive comments, including from Twitter users who speculated that the brand’s status as a privately owned company gives it the freedom to resist the current push on corporations to embrace a far-left social agenda.
Of course, Yuengling is no stranger to boycotts. Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, its owner issued an endorsement of Republican candidate Donald Trump, which resulted in some gay bars and other establishments refusing to carry the beer.
Anheuser-Busch appears to have acknowledged the toll that Bud Light’s controversial partnership has taken on the brand.
Without mentioning the controversy directly or issuing an explicit apology, the company’s CEO released a statement asserting that it “never meant to be a part of a discussion that divides people.”
Brendan Whitworth went on to tout Anheuser-Busch’s “proud history of supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans, and hard-working Americans everywhere.”
Budweiser also released a new commercial that conspicuously embraces a more traditional ethos in an apparent attempt to appeal to its core customer base.
While some prominent figures on the right — including Donald Trump Jr. — have advised against boycotting Bud Light, it appears that many more refuse to defend the brand.
A survey of 14 small bars across Wyoming found that five had experienced some level of decrease in the amount of Bud Light being served. Since the boycott began, Coors Light has reportedly overtaken Bud Light as the most popular beer served at these bars.
