Bud Light Steps Back Out of the Shadows After Boycott Onslaught

After spending months in the social media wilderness following a backlash over its partnership with a transgender influencer, Bud Light has emerged back into the spotlight and ramped up its online posting.

The beer brand had largely remained silent on its social media profiles after it faced calls for a boycott for sending a commemorative can to Dylan Mulvaney to celebrate her first year of transitioning to being a woman. But since June 22, Bud Light has posted on both Twitter and Facebook every day.

In the three months since the controversy began, the beer has seen consistent declines in sales compared to the same time in 2022, with much of its customer base seemingly flocking to rival brands. Other Anheuser-Busch labels, such as Budweiser and Busch Light, have also been impacted by the backlash, industry statistics show.

Anheuser-Busch was accused of alienating its traditional customer base through its partnership with Mulvaney, while some in the LGBTQ+ community—including Mulvaney—have since slammed the company for not defending the marketing deal.

While it appears to be attempting to draw back its audience with relatable posts and a return of the Bud Light Knight, the beer brand's recent posts continue to face overwhelming vitriol online, as reflected in the ratio of likes to replies.

Bud Light's July 4 tweet received more than 4,300 replies to fewer than 600 likes, many users commenting on the controversy and making reference to its previous ties with Mulvaney.

Its most recent post, describing a crate of its beer as a "summer Sunday made easy," has accrued around 2,500 replies and just 720 likes. Users responded by editing the image it contained to include trash—an apparent reference to their feelings toward the beer—while an unofficial poll by one Twitter user saw 94 percent of 1,438 respondents side against the beer's parent company, Anheuser-Busch.

Several of Bud Light's recent posts feature football player Travis Kelce, who appeared in a spot for the brand ahead of Independence Day, which was also widely panned by online commenters.

Newsweek approached Anheuser-Busch via email for comment on Monday.

After the calls for a boycott began, Bud Light ceased posting on Twitter until a post on April 14, before going quiet again until June 22. On Facebook, where it has received more positive responses, it has posted intermittently from May 26 before posting most days from June 15.

According to the latest industry sales figures, in the week ending June 24, Bud Light's sales revenue—its dollar income—was 27.9 percent lower than the same week the year before, while its sales volume—the number of units of beer sold—was 31.3 percent lower.

In a May 4 investor call, Anheuser-Busch's global CEO, Michel Doukeris, said the declining Bud Light sales represented about 1 percent of Anheuser-Busch's global volume at the time.

He also said it had "significantly increased" its investment in Bud Light in the U.S. market and pledged to triple its media spend over the summer.