Bud Light and Budweiser, who shares the same parent company, haven't tweeted in over a month after its replies were dominated by thousands of comments criticizing Bud Light's decision to tap a transgender influencer to promote its brand.
The company last tweeted on April 14 with a picture of a Bud Light can, captioned "TGIF?" The tweet sparked 32,000 replies, largely critical of its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, who rose to fame after detailing "365 days of girlhood." Previous tweets from Bud Light contained similar complaints, and the account has since been inactive.
"Just bought my first case of @CoorsBanquet in decades," one user replied to Bud Light. "No more @Budweiser #GetWokeGoBroke"
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Budweiser's main account and the Budweiser USA account have also been inactive for over a month. Budweiser USA's last tweet was posted on the same day as Bud Light's last tweet, which included an ad with its infamous Clydesdale horses, but it still received over 25,000 replies that were largely critical.
Bud Light, whose parent company is Anheuser-Busch, has struggled to sell its product since its partnership with Mulvaney in March, which included custom beer cans of the transgender influencer’s face. The company’s sales dropped for six weeks straight since calls to boycott the beer. Anheuser-Busch's main Twitter account also hasn't tweeted since April 14 when it tweeted out its statement in response to the Mulvaney backlash, receiving over 25,000 replies.
Bud Light sales dropped 28.4% from last year for the week ending May 13, according to Beer Business Daily. Other Anheuser-Busch products dropped in sales as well, such as Michelob Ultra, which fell 6.8% for the week ending in May 13. Coors Light and Miller Lite, meanwhile, increased sales by 16.9% and 15.1%.
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"Hard pass," one Twitter user replied to Bud Light. "Woke beer is gross."
Bud Light, in an attempt to bump its sales, launched a promotional rebate ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The rebate included an amount "equivalent to the purchase price of one (1) 15-pack or larger, up to $15" of Bud Light, Budweiser, Budweiser Select or Budweiser Select 55 paid via Anheuser-Busch Digital Prepaid Mastercard. Some retailers sell a 15-pack for less than $15, which means the rebate makes those beers free.
Beer distributors for Anheuser-Busch have struggled to keep business amid the boycott. The company told its wholesalers it would buy back Bud Lights that expired, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch, released a statement in April as the boycott of his company gained traction.
"We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people," Whitworth said. "We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."
Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing for Bud Light, and Daniel Blake, Budweiser's group vice president for marketing, were placed on leave for their supervision over the decision to work with Mulvaney.
"Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support," an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told The Journal. "Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence."
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The decision to go on leave "wasn't voluntary," The Journal reported.
Mulvaney shared videos on April 1 announcing the partnership with Bud Light to mark the end of March Madness and celebrate "365 days of girlhood."
Rapper and singer Kid Rock posted a video on Instagram last month in response to the Mulvaney partnership that showed him shooting cans of Bud Light.
