An heir of the Busch family criticized Anheuser-Busch for its short-lived marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Billy Busch told TMZ this week that his “ancestors would have rolled over in their graves” over the company’s recent decisions.
The member of the Busch family said that the company’s founders “believed that transgender, gays, that sort of thing was all a very personal issue. They loved this country because it is a free country and people are allowed to do what they want, but it was never meant to be on a beer can and never meant to be pushed in people’s faces.”
When asked about the purpose of the marketing effort, Busch said that “people who drink beer, I think they’re your common folk. I think they are the blue-collar worker who goes and works hard every single day.”
“The last thing they want pushed down their throat or to be drinking is a beer can with that kind of message on it,” he said. “I just don’t think that’s what they’re looking for. They want their beer to be truly American, truly patriotic, as it always has been.”
“Truly, America’s beer, which Bud Light was and probably isn’t any longer,” Busch added.
Anheuser-Busch heir claims ancestors would have ‘rolled in their graves’ over Dylan Mulvaney: ‘Never meant to be on beer can’ https://t.co/w4aryDlxND pic.twitter.com/McIH7n892v
— New York Post (@nypost) August 7, 2023
During the interview, Busch said that Bud Light’s former target audience was not “into transgenders.” He said that beer consumers “care about wholesome things.”
He said that some things, such as gender identity, “should be kept private.”
The heir’s comments come as Anheuser-Busch has lost at least $400 million in revenue due to the ongoing consumer backlash.
Furthermore, the company has been losing shelf and tap space to other beer brands since April.
The Wall Street Journal wrote this week that there are “reasons to believe that Bud Light sales might be permanently impaired.”
Anheuser-Busch’s rivals are capitalizing on the company’s difficulties, with Molson Coors announcing that it would significantly increase its ad budget. The beer giant also stated that it added more than 12,000 taps at dining and drinking establishments during the previous quarter.
