Video footage of a Bud Light beer-tap handle being removed from a bar has gone viral on Twitter, as the beleaguered brand continues to face the fallout over its marketing partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand has seen its popularity plummet in recent months, after transgender influencer Mulvaney unveiled a small partnership with Bud Light on April 1. In a video posted to Instagram, Mulvaney said Bud Light had sent her a can with her face on it to commemorate her 365 days living as a woman.
A number of conservative activists subsequently led a boycott of Bud Light, with musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich joining those who spoke out against the brand after the collaboration. Meanwhile, some in the LGBTQ+ community slammed the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.Since the calls for a boycott began almost four months ago, Bud Light has seen a drop-off in domestic sales. Revenue remains consistently below what it was at the same time in 2022. The company has also lost its crown as America’s most-popular beer, with Mexican rival Modelo Especial now in the U.S. top spot.In a move to illustrate Bud Light’s PR woes, YouTuber and podcaster Daniel M. Keem, who is known online as Keemstar, shared a video on Twitter that shows an employee removing the company’s branded beer tap sign from its lineup at a bar.
“So, Bud Light is so boycotted that it’s being removed [and replaced] with Miller,” Keem, who is based in Buffalo, New York, is heard announcing in the clip. “It’s being removed from my local bar. Holy s***. That’s crazy.”
As the smiling bar staffer unscrews the Bud Light-branded handle and replaces it with one representing Miller Lite, Keem asks: “Really, nobody’s ordering Bud anymore?”
“No,” the staffer responds with a shake of the head.Captioning the clip, Keem wrote: “My local bar finally gave up & is removing Bud Light completely from the bar permanently.”
The footage, which has been viewed more than 8.4 million times since it was uploaded on July 27, drew a divided response from Twitter users.
My local bar finally gave up & is removing Bud Light completely from the bar permanently. pic.twitter.com/8LjJK8M6Lu
— KEEM 🍿 (@KEEMSTAR) July 27, 2023
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