'Not all publicity is good publicity' says marketing strategist of Anheuser-Busch

Jenny Goldsberry

May 05, 01:06 PM May 05, 01:06 PM

The fallout following Anheuser-Busch's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has proven to be a teaching moment in marketing.

Viral Nation's Chief Business Development Officer Emma Ferrara broke down what when wrong in Anheuser-Busch's marketing campaign in an interview with WHD News on Friday. The result of the company sending one personalized can to Mulvaney, who subsequently made a post that led to a report that total Bud Light sales for the week ending on April 15 were down 21% in volume, is "one of the most polarizing instances within the social media space," Ferrara said.

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"This very much ties back to the notion that not all publicity is good publicity," she said.

Ferrara noted the brevity of the influencer's participation in Anheuser-Busch's marketing effort. Mulvaney only made one post which didn't quite add up to a campaign, but it still made a difference.

"I really am of the belief that there is no such thing as a small post, or one post, or diminishing the meaning behind that," Ferrara said. "I do believe that there was an effort to connect with the community and one that, I think, just came about in the wrong way because it was inauthentic, and it wasn't credible."

In the future, Ferrara recommended that brands consider their "core audience" and instead find influencers that are authentic consumers of their product. Should another brand want to include the transgender community, Ferrara reminded listeners that it is not a monolith full of homogeneous personalities, but there are "nuances within that community."

Anheuser-Busch has employed lobbying firm Origin Advocacy with GOP roots in Congress in an attempt to undo the damage caused among its conservative consumer base.

Red Sox fans abandon Bud Light at Fenway Park as Mulvaney backlash continues

Luke Gentile

May 05, 11:28 AM May 05, 11:28 AM

Boston Red Sox fans abandoned Bud Light this week over the backlash facing Anheuser-Busch. The backlash, which appears to have no end in sight, comes in the wake of the brand's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

During the Red Sox home series against the Toronto Blue Jays, a TikTok user went viral after uploading a video Wednesday showing a concession stand stock full of Bud Lights.

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"Fenway Park Bud Light Ghost Town," the user captioned the video in a post that has garnered over 1.3 million views.

"Guys, this is so funny and bizarre," he said. "Look at that ... that is every single Bud Light stand here at Fenway Park ... Holy crap, they're in trouble."

Last month, during the week ranging from April 17 to April 22, Bud Light sales fell 26.1% from what they were a year ago, and the financial battering of the iconic beer brand comes as conservatives throughout the United States continue to boycott Anheuser-Busch products.

Many on the Right are furious about Bud Light going "woke" and allowing Mulvaney, a biological male who identifies as female, to promote its product while dressed like Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The move to partner with the transgender activist appears to have been a part of the push by executives to "evolve and elevate" Bud Light, but it has come at a great cost to both Anheuser-Busch's bankroll and public image. At least two senior marketing executives have been forced to take a leave of absence.

Riley Gaines: Biden isn't willing to protect your daughters

Amy DeLaura

April 15, 07:00 AM April 15, 07:00 AM

EXCLUSIVE — Riley Gaines has accused President Joe Biden of abandoning women for supporting transgender people in women's sports and in the women's locker room.

As the spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum, Gaines speaks at college campuses across the country, fighting for the right to privacy in the locker room.

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Biden recently made his opinion clear on the issue when he met polarizing influencer Dylan Mulvaney to discuss transgender issues in America.

“I feel very strongly [transgender people] should have every single solitary right,” Biden said, “including the use of [their] gender identity bathrooms in public.”

Gaines, a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer, says it’s absolutely discouraging to know your own president is against your cause.

“Truly, the feeling is betrayal, betrayal from the people who are supposed to protect you from this ever happening who aren't,” Gaines said. “In my case, at the NCAA championship, our coaches, our parents, even the NCAA itself, people with political power, why was no one protecting us?”

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Gaines said Biden will never understand what it feels like to be female in an environment where you're undressing in front of the opposite sex.

“It is discouraging for me as a female to know a male is trying to take away our rights," Gaines said. “President Biden, who's leading the country, is saying he's unwilling to protect your daughters, protect any girl or woman in an area of vulnerability.”

Gaines has expressed the vulnerability she felt before a meet having to get ready in front of biological man Lia Thomas in the locker room.

“You have someone with male genitalia pulling his pants down, watching you as you undress. It throws you off,” said Gaines.

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Thomas, who identifies as a transgender woman, swam for the University of Pennsylvania. Thomas and Gaines swam against each other and tied, but the NCAA told Gaines she could not hold the trophy because they wanted Thomas to hold it for the photo op.

“In that moment, I felt like we, as women, were being mocked. We were being reduced to a photo op to validate the feelings and the identity of a man,” said Gaines.

The protection of transgender women in sports has the full support of the Biden administration. The president is trying to pass a proposal allowing school-aged transgender athletes to play on the sports team of their gender identity by rewriting Title IX.

“In the disguise of progress or being progressive, they're doing the exact opposite,” Gaines said. “Which proves it's not progress. This is regressive. They're now actively working to take away those sex-based rights.”

Gaines, meanwhile, expressed her dismay at companies using transgender TikTok star Mulvaney to promote their female products, calling it a mockery and degrading to women.

“I find it offensive. It's a mockery!” Gaines exclaimed. “If you watch this promo video of Dylan with the Nike apparel, he's doing these jumping jacks and stretching, indicating that's how women look when we work out. That's not what we look like!”

Mulvaney posted a series of pictures on Instagram modeling a Nike sports bra and legging set. Athletes came out against the sportswear company Nike, leading to a bra-burning challenge on TikTok.

The influencer also received an endorsement deal from Tampax, with Mulvaney even admitting the sponsorship was a surprise. Critics lashed out when the feminine product company sent Mulvaney a promotional package while there was a shortage of tampons and pads. After the criticism, Mulvaney made a video about handing out all the tampons.

“It just seems as if they're not understanding their true demographic, the people who they are there to support and provide for,” Gaines said. “Sports bras go to women. Tampons, of course, are provided for women. They are missing their mark big time here, and it's degrading women in the process.”

SEE IT: Country music star John Rich axes Bud Light from bar after transgender partnership

Julia Johnson

April 06, 03:25 PM April 06, 03:25 PM

John Rich asked fans on Wednesday which beer should replace Bud Light at his bar after the beer brand was revealed to be partnering with transgender woman influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Mulvaney revealed last week that the popular TikToker was a brand partner of Bud Light.

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"What beer should my bar in Nashville replace #BudLight with?" Rich asked on Twitter.

Rich is the founder of a bar and restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, called Redneck Riviera.

Fellow country crooner Travis Tritt also announced Wednesday that he was removing Anheuser-Busch products from his tour hospitality rider.

"I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same," he wrote.

He further claimed that other artists are doing the same but aren't announcing it out of fear of being canceled.

In addition to Mulvaney's partnership with Bud Light, which was confirmed by Anheuser-Busch in a statement, the brand also sent a custom beer can with the influencer's face on it in celebration of Mulvaney's one-year anniversary of "girlhood."

Users reacted to the partnership and commemorative can across social media. Musician Kid Rock even posted a video in response to the news. The artist filmed himself shooting several cases of Bud Light with a gun until beer was leaking onto the ground.

Amid the backlash, a seemingly unbothered Mulvaney further revealed a partnership with Nike. "Home for a moment and leaning into cozy workout wear life with @nikewomen ‘s newest Zenvy leggings and Alate bra! They’re so comfortable and buttery soft, perfect for workouts and everyday wear! #feelyourall #teamnike #nikepartner," the influencer wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.