- Bosses of Anheuser-Busch claim that the partnership with Mulvaney was ‘not a formal campaign or advertisement’
- Their former chief creative officer branded the decision to work with the trans influencer as a ‘calamitous mistake’
- It comes as the company reported first-quarter earnings of $1.65billion, which topped Wall Street expectations
The CEO of Anheuser-Busch has unceremoniously disowned the disastrous Dylan Mulvaney stunt – insisting it was ‘not a campaign’ as a letter to retailers says it was ‘just one can’.
Michel Doukeris addressed the mass backlash over working with trans influencer Mulvaney, 26, for the first time in an earnings call with investors on Thursday.
Doukeris told investors there is ‘misinformation’ spreading on social media about the company’s team-up with Mulvaney, according to Fox Business.
He added that the company is ‘providing direct financial support’ to the frontline workers impacted by the boycott.
Doukeris said: ‘We need to clarify the facts that this was one camp, one influencer, one post and not a campaign.
‘We will continue to learn, meet the moment in time, all be stronger and we work tirelessly to do what we do best: Bring people together over a beer and creating a future of more cheers.’
The disastrous marketing bid has seen sales for the American flagship beer plummet 26 percent, despite Anheuser-Busch reporting first-quarter earnings of $1.65billion.
Doukeris’ comments came as a letter was sent to retailers, bars and restaurants by Grey Eagle – which distributes Anheuser-Busch products around St Louis.
It read: ‘Anheuser-Busch did not intend to create controversy or make a political statement.
‘In reality, the Bud Light can posted by a social media influencer that sparked all the conversation was provided by an outside agency without Anheuser-Busch management awareness or approval.
‘Since that time, the lack of oversight and control over marketing decisions has been addressed and a new VP of Bud Light marketing has been announced.’
Bud Light’s VP of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, took a leave of absence while the VP for Mainstream Brand, Daniel Blake, stepped down some days after.
Their sudden departure appears premature in light of the recent comments, which also claim there was no ‘management awareness’ of the now-infamous campaign.
The specifics of how the can fiasco was approved remain under wraps. The latest letter claims the Mulvaney can was the brainchild of an outside agency.
It is the first time the brewing giant has addressed the backlash in detail, after they were hit with a major dip in Bud Light sales following the paid partnership.
The defiant rebuttal against the ‘unofficial’ campaign comes as Anheuser-Bush reported first-quarter earnings of $1.65billion, which topped Wall Street expectations.
The brewer posted revenue of $14.21 billion in the period, which also beat forecasts, with the shares rising 6 percent since the beginning of the year and 12 percent in 12 months.
