A Minneapolis gay bar is reportedly dumping Bud Light beer, and Anheuser-Busch beverages citing a lack of “integrity” from the company, according to a local report.
Minneapolis gay bar The Saloon is replacing Anheuser-Busch with local breweries because of the way the beer giant handled the backlash over influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Star Tribune reported Monday.
“Anheuser-Busch had an opportunity to support a marginalized community in a way that few other corporations have attempted, but they abandoned that direction. We view that as unacceptable,” Saloon owner John Moore said.
“I’m so protective of doing business with people who have integrity and don’t get into an anti-queer agenda,” the bar owner added.
Anheuser-Busch had partnered with Mulvaney in March, sending her a personalized pack of beer as part of an ad for March Madness and Mulvaney’s first-year anniversary of her gender transition.
The marketing move led to Anheuser-Busch losing roughly $28 billion in market value and a significant drop in sales from conservative consumers.
Moore added he would be selecting local breweries that have a stronger commitment than Bud Light to integrity and the LGBTQ+ community.Some gay bars in Chicago have similarly committed to dumping Bud Light.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth put out a statement in April about the Bud Light-Mulvaney controversy, saying that his company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.”A top Anheuser-Busch executive spoke out recently about the backlash.
“It’s tough to see the controversial and divisive debates that have been happening in the U.S. in the last couple of weeks involving lots of brands and companies, including and especially Bud Light,” global chief marketing officer, Marcel Marcondes, said. “It’s tough exactly because what we do is all about bringing people together.”Marcondes said the incident was a “wake-up call” for marketers like himself to be “very humble” during such divisive times.
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