In a new Interview with CBS Mornings, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said it had been a “challenging few weeks” for his company. However, he refused to admit that Bud Light made an error by promoting transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light sales have continued to tank in the wake of the publicity stunt from early April, reaching an all-time low this week at nearly 30 percent less versus a year ago. Whitworth, a former CIA operative-turned-woke beer executive, was asked by the CBS hosts if he had any regrets but did not appear phased by the catastrophic losses sustained by the once-beloved beer brand.
“Many people in your position, Mr. Whitworth, would be running for the hills at this point,” co-host Gayle King told Whitworth. “How and why did it, did it go so off the rails?”
“Yeah, it’s been a challenging few weeks,” Whitworth responded before giving the news host a non-answer.
“And I think the conversation surrounding Bud Light has moved away from beer, and the conversation has become divisive. And Bud Light really doesn’t belong there. Bud Light should be all about bringing people together. And there’s been impact on the business, and I think that’s publicly covered on Bud Light specifically.”
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Budweiser CEO refuses to answer the Dylan Mulvaney question. Sounds like Bud Light has learned nothing from the Boycott.pic.twitter.com/AhjdcKLDXQ
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 28, 2023
“Yeah, so what was your intention?” Gayle asked, seeming perplexed. “What was your intention? What were you all trying to do here?”
Whitworth responded by downplaying the significance of his brand’s partnership with Dylvan Mulvaney and even portrayed his company as a victim, implying it was unfair for Anheuser-Busch to be caught “in the middle” of the trans issue, despite his company’s significant contributions to LGBTQ causes.
“Yeah. It was just to be clear, it was a gift, and it was one can…
There’s a big social conversation taking place right now, and big brands are right in the middle of it and it’s not just our industry or Bud Light. It’s happening in retail, it’s happening in fast food. And so for us what we need to understand is, deeply understand and appreciate is the consumer and what they want, what they care about, and what they expect from big brands. “
“Speaking to CBS Mornings, (Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan) Whitworth was asked if he would send Mulvaney, 26, another can, knowing the backlash.”
“But instead of giving a definitive answer, the (Anheuser-Busch) CEO instead launched into a pre-rehearsed speech about the 'social… pic.twitter.com/OwyjrAzaSq
— IT Guy (@ITGuy1959) June 28, 2023
Whitworth has also not ruled out another potential collaboration with Mulvaney in the future, despite the current ordeal costing the company upwards of $20 billion. Bud Light has reportedly tripled its summer advertising budget in an attempt to recoup its losses, debuting several new ad spots and resurrecting its old “Bud Knight” promotional in recent weeks — all of which have been viciously mocked by the company’s former customers online.
Despite the promotional specifically being a Bud Light stunt, the months-long backlash has also affected Anheuser-Busch’s other beer brands. According to the latest data from Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ, sales of Budweiser have fallen over 12 percent year-over-year, while Michelob Ultra has fallen by 4 percent. Busch Light has also seen an 8 percent decline in sales, per a report by New York Post.
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