Anheuser-Busch Pouring Money Into Bud Light

Michel Doukeris, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch inBev, spoke about a decline in Bud Light sales and said the company is making a significant investment in the brand amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the beer brand's partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer and activist.

During the call with investors on Thursday, Doukeris briefly mentioned the ongoing controversy surrounding Bud Light and said, "This was the result of one can. It was not made for production or sale to general public. It was one post, not a formal campaign or advertisement."

"This situation has impacted our people and especially our frontline workers, the delivery drivers, sales representatives, our wholesalers, bar owners and servers. These people are the fabric of our business. They are our neighbors, family members and friends. We've been doing everything we can to support our teams," Doukeris said. "We are providing direct financial support to the frontline teams that work for us and our wholesalers as to Bud Light have significantly increased our investments behind the brand in the US."

Along with financial support to frontline teams, Doukeris shared that the company is tripling its media span over the summer. He did not provide figures on exactly how much that would cost.

The comments by Doukeris come as Bud Light and parent company Anheuser-Busch have continued to face criticism and calls to boycott after partnering with Mulvaney, who posted a video showcasing a customized Bud Light can to celebrate her transition to womanhood.

The video was posted by Mulvaney on April 1 and calls to boycott the beer from conservatives began shortly after, which included a response by musician Kid Rock, who shared his own video shooting several Bud Light cans.

Sales data for the week ending on April 15, obtained by the Wall Street Journal, showed that Bud Light sales dropped by 17 percent when compared to the same week a year prior.

Dave Williams of Bump Williams Consulting, which provided the sale data to the Wall Street Journal, previously told Newsweek that a decline in sales of Bud Light was "apparent" but noted that "they were also not completely earth-shattering in terms of magnitude."

"What will be most interesting to follow is whether or not these deviations continue long-term, and if so, to what degree (accelerating vs. decelerating)," Williams told Newsweek.

Doukeris addressed the declining sales on Thursday's call, saying it's "too early to have a full view" of the impact. He acknowledged there was a decline in sales, confirming the public reports, and said it represents about one percent of Anheuser-Busch's global volumes. He asserted that the company believes it has the experience and resources to manage the backlash.

Newsweek reached out to Anheuser-Busch via email for comment.