The Bud Light-Mulvaney saga has had a wider range of economic
Rachel McAdams (L) and Dylan Mulvaney attend the "Are You There God It's Me, Margaret." Los Angeles Premiere at the Regency Village Theatre on April 15, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. Mulvaney is encouraging brands to embrace more transgender individuals for marketing campaigns, even after her association with Bud Light negatively impacted the brand. Amanda Edwards/GettyBut even with her massive social media following, it was her association with Bud Light that made Mulvaney culturally mainstream.When the beer maker belonging to parent company Anheuser-Busch in March sent a can with her own image and likeness on it, it became fodder for a whole new segment of the population—like musician Kid Rock, for example, who recorded video of himself shooting cases of beer—and put the brand under a major microscope.Within a matter of weeks, a formidable chunk of the conservative population successfully boycotted the beer by both not purchasing bottles and cans off store shelves, and not ordering it at bars. Politicians like Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Republican Representative Lauren Boebert publicly called out the brand for associating with Mulvaney, even as the beer was reportedly a hit at one of Donald Trump's LIV Golf events.It also led to economic difficulties for some bars, like The Fairfax Bar & Grill in Bloomington, Indiana, which drew a line in the sand and requested those with intolerance to leave their establishment. "I won't tolerate hate speech, and I think that's where I draw the line as a human, as a business owner," bar owner McKinley Minniefield told Newsweek in late April.Shortly thereafter, the bar relinquished its tough stance and hoped its former customers would return after sales dropped significantly.Poor sales have become Bud Light's M.O. as of late, with videos shared online showing the beer being passed over for other products—even causing one retailer to sell cans at 14 cents apiece.Just today, Modelo Especial dethroned Bud Light as the United States' top-selling beer after scoring a 15.6 percent rise in sales in the four weeks ending May 28, as opposed to Bud Light's 22.8 percent fall within the same period.Bud Light, whose marketing executives took leaves of absence due to the fiasco and market fall, is now reportedly seeking "attractive, young, real women" to help stop the dramatic market plunge."I prefer not to name any of those people, because it gives them the satisfaction of believing they're on my mind," Mulvaney, who disappeared from social media for 20 days following the origins of the Bud Light backlash, told Them when asked about the boycotts. "It shows my followers that I'm standing up for myself, but also pushes that their narrative is loud enough to matter."The Bud Light-Mulvaney saga has had a wider range of economic and social ramifications, leading to a plethora of additional conservative boycotts involving brands' affiliations with the LGBTQ+ population, including Nike, Adidas, Miller Lite, The North Face, Starbucks, and even the Chirstian-based chicken empire Chick-fil-A—whose discovered Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webpage made some loyal customers irate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Target is arguably the most significant brand hit beyond Bud Light, berated and chastised for its pre-Pride Month release of "tuck-friendly" swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirmation surgery to conceal their genitals. The company's decision has drawn reactions from billionaire Elon Musk and failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and has led to a $4 billion loss in market cap since May 27 alone.