- Bud Light sales took a hit after the brewer partnered with a trans TikTok influencer, WSJ reports.
- Sales of Bud Light fell 17% the week of April 15, WSJ reports, citing an analysis of Nielsen data.
Sales of Bud Light took a hit in the wake of a conservative social media backlash sparked by the beer brand's embrace of a transgender influencer, according to data cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The data showed Bud Light sales dropping 17% in the week of April 15 compared to the same week last year.
Meanwhile, competitors Coors Light and Miller Light saw their own sales jump nearly 18% in the same week, the WSJ reported, citing the same data, which was compiled by Nielsen and analyzed by an alcoholic beverages consultant called Bump Williams.
The apparent backlash, which came after a call to boycott Bud Light, was swift: On April 1, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who has more than 12 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, posted a video on Instagram featuring custom beer cans that Bud Light's marketing team sent her. The cans featured her face.
Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid took a leave of absence following the backlash. Bud Light owner Anheuser-Busch has also said Heinerscheid will be replaced with with Todd Allen, the global vice president of Budweiser. Daniel Blake, the vice president of marketing for Anheuser-Busch's mainstream brands, also took a leave of absence, the WSJ reported.
The company didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.
A-B previously said in a statement to BuzzFeed News: "From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public." The can celebrated Mulvaney's one year mark after transitioning.
Bud Light isn't the only brand that's been recently hit with anti-trans backlash. Nike was similarly criticized after Mulvaney announced a partnership with the athletic brand. In a comment on Instagram, Nike said it wouldn't tolerate hate speech, and encouraged inclusivity.
In response to the criticism levied at her partnership with both brands, Mulvaney, on the podcast "Onward with Rosie O'Donnell," said: "I think it comes back to the fact that these people, they don't understand me, and anything that I do or say somehow gets taken out of context and is used against me."
Representatives for Mulvaney didn't respond to Insider's request for additional comment.
The backlash against the brands adds to a wave of anti-trans sentiments and legislation over the last year.
Disney's CEO Bob Iger and Florida governor Ron DeSantis have been engaging in an increasingly heated battle since Disney publicly opposed DeSantis's "Don't Say Gay" bill, which prohibits discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools from kindergarten to third grade. Florida's Board of Education recently voted to expand these restrictions through grade 12.