New Bud Light Ad Mocked Amid Boycott—'Hit Rock Bottom'

May 16, 2023

A new video shared on Bud Light's verified Twitter account has faced widespread mockery on the platform amid the beer brand's ongoing controversy.

Since the start of April, Bud Light has been subjected to a relentless backlash for a partnership it had with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In a video posted to Instagram on April 1, Mulvaney said the beer brand had sent her a can with her face on it to commemorate her 365 days living as a woman.

Mulvaney's partnership with Bud Light drew condemnation and boycott calls, led by conservative figures, including Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican. Musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich were also among those who expressed aversions to the beer brand after the collaboration. Meanwhile, some in the LGBTQ+ community have also slammed the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.

Since the calls for a boycott began three months ago, Bud Light has seen a drop-off in domestic sales. Revenue remains consistently below what it was the same time in 2022. The company has also lost its crown as America's most popular beer, with Mexican rival Modelo Especial now in the top spot.

In recent weeks, the brand has resumed sharing social media posts, one of which included a video uploaded to Twitter on Sunday.

The 10-second clip showed a woman calmly eating from a large watermelon while sitting at a picnic table, while high winds threw paper plates and Bud Light cans all over the grounds of a park. As others ran around her to clear the mess, the woman only briefly glanced at the chaos before scooping up more watermelon.

"It's fine, this is fine," read an accompanying caption.

It’s fine, this is fine pic.twitter.com/wrm8MwtSqn

Reflecting the mood of the past three months, the post was met with derision from a number of Twitter users, one of whom wrote: "This brand seems to have hit rock bottom..."

"Go away Bud Light.. you made your bed, now sleep in it," said Eric Bolling, host at the conservative network Newsmax. "WE ARE DONE WITH YOU. Cut your losses... Retire the brand."

"Seriously though, I've gotta wonder if whoever runs the Bud Light account secretly hates the brand and wants to incite mockery and memes," commented another.

"You have to feel sorry for the social media coordinator putting out this content," another tweeted. "That person is getting crushed. It's sad but hilarious."

Several other derisive replies to Bud Light's post were hidden.

Amid the flood of criticism, several other Twitter users expressed their appreciation for the video.

"I kind of think it's brilliant," said one. "They are so not worried about all the boycott backlash. I think they are just having fun with this particular moment in pop culture."

"I love Bud Light," another Twitter user chimed in. "Never had it before Dylan, now I have it every day."

Over the past several weeks, a number of social media users have also shared photos and videos of unsold Bud Light on store shelves and at venues, in a bid to illustrate the purported success of the boycott of the beer brand.

Bud Light has implemented a variety of strategies to boost sales in recent weeks, such as offering steep rebates that made the beer free or nearly free in some areas.

In mid-June, a former Anheuser-Busch employee in the U.S. suggested in an interview with conservative political commentator Tomi Lahren that the brewing company deliberately sabotaged Bud Light in an attempt to cut costs. The interview came weeks after Lahren said "mass layoffs" were in the pipeline at Bud Light as a result of the backlash.

On June 29, Mulvaney accused Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, of turning "a blind eye" to the transphobic attacks she endured after her collaboration with the brand.

In a TikTok post captioned "Trans people like beer too," Mulvaney accused Anheuser-Busch of not reaching out to her during the height of the criticism.

"I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did. And for months now, I've been scared to leave my house," she said. "I have been ridiculed in public. I've been followed. And I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn't wish on anyone. If this is my experience from a very privileged perspective, know that it is much, much worse for other trans people."

While not directly naming Anheuser-Busch, Mulvaney continued: "For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want. And the hate doesn't end with me. It has serious and grave consequences for the rest of our community. And we're customers, too. I know a lot of trans and queer people who love beer."

"To turn a blind eye and pretend everything is OK—it just isn't an option right now," Mulvaney added. "And you might say, 'But Dylan, I don't want to get political.' Babe, supporting trans people, it shouldn't be political. There should be nothing controversial or divisive about working with us."

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Anheuser-Busch via email for comment.