Pepsi, Nike and Kellog are three major companies that have used celebrity endorsements for marketing purposes. Nike has even used celebrities as the face of their advertisements supporting equality in sports — including famous athletes Colin Kaepernick and Serena Williams. While they received backlash for these ads released in 2020, the company still made roughly $37.4 billion that year.
More recently, brewing company Anheuser-Busch decided to take part in this style of marketing strategy, revealing a new Bud Light partner in April. As of April 12, Anheuser-Busch lost approximately $6 billion in revenue.
So why should Anheuser-Busch’s celebrity endorsement be treated any differently than other brands utilizing influencer marketing? The reason: the celebrity Anheuser-Busch chose to promote their beer was Dylan Mulvaney — a transgender TikTok influencer.
On April 1, Mulvaney posted a TikTok to her roughly 10 million followers in which she drank a Bud Light and captioned the video “#budlightpartner.” Almost instantly, both Mulvaney and Bud Light received major backlash. Most notably, American musician Kid Rock posted a video of himself sporting an assault rifle and MAGA hat before shooting cases of the beer. The video got over 50,000 retweets, sparking others to share their similar views on the transgender star’s endorsement and leading to a boycott of Anheuser-Busch products.
The issue boils down to exactly why this specific endorsement has received so much hate, enough hate to lead to a boycott of Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light — and a $6 billion loss in stocks and profits. Simply put, transphobia is seen as socially acceptable in the United States.
People began boycotting one of the most popular beer brands because they partnered with a transgender woman. Would this have happened if a cisgender celebrity was in an advertisement for Anheuser-Busch? Likely not, because both TV personality Guy Fieri and rapper Post Malone have starred in Bud Light seltzer commercials without any violent backlash resulting in billions of dollars in losses.
Living in the age of social media, it has become easier for people to spread dangerous messages or post vicious comments. Hate spreads like wildfire, as seen through Kid Rock’s video or even with broadcasts from Fox News about Bud Light’s advertisement. If someone disagrees with something, or if they don’t support a person’s identity, they can make their opinions known by simply hitting a button and releasing it for the public to see.
It seems these individuals boycotting Bud Light aren’t aware of the countless other brands that support LGBTQ+ rights. The Walt Disney Company, Vans, Levi’s and Target are just some of the companies that have expressed support towards the LGBTQ+ community. Some companies have even used profits to donate to LGBTQ+ organizations and charities. While still receiving backlash, none of these companies seemed to suffer the massive boycott Anheuser-Busch did.
It is imperative for transphobes to understand this: Mulvaney’s partnership with Bud Light is just the beginning of transgender people gaining visibility.
A common misconception is that the number of LGBTQ+ people in our population has grown exponentially in the last few decades. The number of individuals identifying as gay and trans is not the result of drag races or LGBTQ+ education in schools. Rather, people are becoming more comfortable with their identities. If there are millions of gay and transgender persons — as well as large numbers of allies supporting equality for transgender individuals — does this mean transphobes truly are blinded by their hate? Or, have they just been allowed to be hateful for too long? Maybe it’s both.
As a woman who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, I remember seeing Mulvaney’s Bud Light sponsorship and feeling an overwhelming sense of pride (pun intended). Gay and transgender individuals are constantly fighting for representation. Nine years ago, Michael Sam was the first openly gay man drafted into the NFL. Kim Petras was the first transgender woman in 50 years to win a Grammy. While these examples come from a much larger scale — the category of famous transgender and gay individuals — it is evident LGBTQ+ people do not receive the recognition, representation and support that we deserve.
Mulvaney has opened doors for companies — and not just ones selling beer. While some companies may be fearful of experiencing a boycott of their products, this specific celebrity endorsement has paved the way for other brands to partner with more underrepresented groups. More importantly, her advertisement for Bud Light represents our evolving society, as more transgender individuals find their spotlight in ads, social media, television and the music industry.
Angela Olen is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Psychology and English. Do you agree that Dylan Mulvaney has opened doors for companies?
