Bama Budweiser, an independent wholesaler of Anheuser-Busch products based in Montgomery, Alabama, released an advertisement last week in an effort to distance the business from transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.
Bud Light, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch, garnered controversy after the brand partnered with Mulvaney, a man who claims to be a woman and documented his purported gender transition on social media. Steve Tatum, the general manager and vice president of Bama Budweiser, said in a one-minute local radio advertisement that his company is “upset about” the move and has made their feelings “known to the top leadership at Anheuser-Busch.”
“We at Bama Budweiser, an independent wholesaler, employ around 100 people who live here, work here, and our children go to school here,” Tatum said in the advertisement, according to reports from local media outlets. “We do not, and as I said before, did not support this issue involving Dylan Mulvaney.”
Tensions between Anheuser-Busch and distributors have been elevated in recent weeks as the companies suffer from consumer backlash against Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch reportedly offered a free case of beer to every employee in the firm’s wholesaler network as an apology.
Tatum, on the other hand, repeated previous assertions from Anheuser-Busch executives which downplayed the nature of the marketing effort.
“There was one single can made. It was not for sale and wasn’t properly approved,” the advertisement continued. “Dylan Mulvaney is not under contract with Bud Light. The videos you may have seen are Mulvaney’s own social media posts that went viral and many web-based news outlets have distorted the story. You deserve to know the truth, and life is too short to let a couple of individuals decide what you can eat or drink or spend your hard-earned money on. And remember, making friends is our business, not enemies.”
Tatum also claimed that “the voice of the consumer has been heard, and Anheuser-Busch has taken action,” even as the company has not yet released a meaningful apology which addresses transgender ideology or seeks to make amends with conservatives.
Market data now indicate that sales for Bud Light plummeted nearly 24% in the week ended May 6 relative to the same period last year while other Anheuser-Busch brands suffered to a lesser extent. The company, which is owned by a Belgian conglomerate, now seems to have alienated those on both ends of the political spectrum: owners of gay bars have threatened to launch boycotts after the firm issued a lackluster attempt to back away from Mulvaney.
Anson Frericks, a former Anheuser-Busch executive who served as president for the company’s sales and distribution business, said in an interview with The Daily Wire earlier this week that the firm can expect “a long, hot, dry summer” without efforts to win back consumers.
“I think that you’re going to see sales continue to be down because customers, it’s too easy for them to switch to other brands, and they’re seeing the impact of their results,” he commented. “If they want those customers back, they have an easy decision that they can make, which is saying, ‘We want Bud Light customers back, therefore Bud Light is not going to get involved with political issues moving forward.’ If not, they’re probably going to be in a worse position next year and their sales will continue to decline.”
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