Bud Light have ‘set their loyal fanbase on fire’ after using trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney

A marketing expert has slammed Bud Light over their controversial decision to use a transgender influencer for their latest campaign – which sparked so much fury Kid Rock took out several cases with an automatic gun.

The pro-Trump singer, wearing a MAGA hat, said he wanted to send a ‘clear and concise’ message after discovering trans content creator Dylan Mulvaney was working with the beer company.

Mulvaney, 26, announced the partnership in a series of videos posted to social media at the weekend to coincide with the NCAA March Madness tournament.

She was even given a beer can with her face printed on it to celebrate her 365 days of being a woman – something which angered the singer.

But a PR expert has now told DailyMail.com that the decision by Bud Light and their parent company Anheuser-Busch to link up with Mulvaney was a mistake.

Gareth Boyd, Marketing & PR Director at Forte Analytica, says that while he can understand where the decision came from it is ‘not the right way to go about it.’

Speaking to DailyMail.com he said: ‘I really cannot understand their approach for this because their core audience just cannot relate.

‘Cutting your core audience in the hope you can draw a completely new audience in, who haven’t been exposed before, doesn’t make sense.

‘Most US families are exposed to their father drinking the beer, or other family members, but it has never been seen as the cool beer.

‘In terms of what they did this year was good, with the Superbowl, but now they’ve come off the back of something really good and lit it on fire.

‘Kid Rock is the poster boy for Bud Light, and for someone like him to come out and shoot cans it tells you a lot about the reaction from their core base customers.

‘People pouring beer down their sink, it says quite a bit about how out of touch they have been with this campaign.

‘If we had been working with them then it isn’t something that we would ever have recommended.

‘While I can see why they thought it might be a good idea to do something explosive, it has sparked a massive backlash.’

Thousands of people commented on Kid Rock, 52, posting the footage online and saying ‘F*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day.’

It sparked a further backlash from fans, who were already hitting out at the decision to make Mulvaney the face of the brand.

Several former customers filmed themselves pouring the beer away – down the sink and toilet – while others emptied their fridge of the product into bins.

But the company has stood behind the TikTok star, who has been accused of dressing in a childlike way, with more than 10 million followers, with Anheuser-Bush saying the cans were a personal gift to her.

They added that she is one of the hundreds of influencers that the company partners with.

In a statement, the spokesperson said: ‘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 decision to work with Mulvaney, who posted a video advertising the beer company’s March Madness contest offering customers a chance to win $15,000, has caused a huge backlash.

Boyd added: ‘Their core market is middle aged men, 50 plus, and it is kind of surprising that they have gone down this route.

‘Bud used to be the king of beers, but they do need to do something to get a new audience to get more interest.

‘This campaign is a massive question mark, if it is going to appeal to that sort of Gen Z generation and the middle of the road liberals.

‘It has been trending in all of the Republican states, which I think tells a lot about the reaction to this.

‘We personally would have said to not do it at all, because it doesn’t matter what way you spin it – the core market they have would not appeal to this.

‘Yes, it is the 21st century, but the fact of the matter is that this business has a particular audience and they’ve definitely opened there fishing net too far and it has come ack to hit them in the face.’

He said that he felt the company needed to ‘spin’ the publicity in some way, because the ‘longer they go without responding, the worse matters will get’.

The marketing director added: ‘its already backlashing to the point where it’s a trend on TikTok, and that is a concern.’

Conservatives were quick to slam the decision, with many saying that the beer maker was pushing ‘gender propaganda’. 

One said: ‘Is anyone else confused why Bud Light put a man pretending to be a female on a can?!?!?!? They forgot who their target audience is!! Go woke, go broke.’

The former acting director of United States National Intelligence Richard Grenell said: I’m the first openly gay US Presidential Cabinet member, BudLight!

‘Where’s my commemorative can? Why are you only doing cans for the Democrats?! Play fair or just sell beer to Democrats…..’

Lis Wheeler added: ‘Hey BudLight, how about you send a beer to the woman who birthed 5 kids, homeschools, runs a business, doesn’t sleep much or have time to put on makeup & heels as often as she’d like?

‘That’s a REAL woman. Not the man with eyeshadow & plastic surgery who pretends he’s a woman.’

There was plenty of praise for Mulvaney with supporters of the transgender community saying the partnership between the two promoted diversity and inclusivity.

‘Ok I kind of love that this is the direction Bud Light is going,’ wrote one user. 

‘I seriously love her so much!! She gets us!’ added another. 

‘I never knew I needed to see Audrey Hepburn drink bud light. But who knew it could be better,’ stated one more. 

‘If this is not an April Fool’s Day joke, then I am SERIOUSLY excited for you to have your face on a can of… well, ANYTHING!’ another supporter wrote on Instagram. 

It comes after the Vice President for the company’s marketing bragged about making it a ‘strategic priority’ to make sure women are represented.

Alissa Heinerscheid told Forbes: ‘Female representation is a personal passion point of mine’ before adding that they are mindful that Bud Light as a brand has been everything to everyone, and as a result, we’ve not been (mindful) about where it shows up.’

The company used the wife of Miles Teller, Keleigh, and the actor himself in the advert for the beer in what they dubbed a ‘new era’ for Bud Light.

Heinerscheid added: ‘When we looked at this job to be done, attracting new drinkers, we started out with who we are and what do we stand for.

‘We’d been pretty inconsistent in our messaging over the years, and we need to establish who we are and consistently message this in years to come. We’re excited to see what 2023 brings.’

It is unclear if Heinerscheid herself is behind the decision to plug Mulvaney as the new face of the brand, or if it was influenced by Marcel Marcondes who is the Global Chief Marketing Officer for AB InBev – Bud Light’s parent company. 

The Bud Light partnership is the second that Mulvaney has signed up for within a week, announcing that she was working with women’s designer fashion company Kate Spade.

Each time Mulvaney endorses a cosmetic, credit card or fashion brand, she earns $75,000 — and perhaps double that when posted on Instagram as well, said Assil Dayri, a social media expert and founder of AMD Consulting Group.

That adds up to as much as $1 million a year for Mulvaney, who is represented by Los Angeles-based Creative Artists Agency (CAA), according to estimates provided by industry insiders.

The University of Pittsburgh reportedly paid $26,250 for a Mulvaney speaking appearance this month, according to the campus newspaper.

She also rakes in the cash by selling pink sweaters for $54 each, in her girlhood-themed merchandise range.

In the past, Mulvaney has been accused of ‘womanface’ by some feminists, who claim she is play-acting the parts of a woman she enjoys, with none of the misogyny faced by females on a day-to-day basis.

She became known on TikTok for her ‘days of girlhood’ series, which has 10.8 million followers, in which she can be heard discussing things that she believes are ‘accessible’ to her as a trans woman.

They include finding love, being a performer, having a family and being a mother.

She’s earned hundreds of thousands of dollars, won allies in the White House, and is elbowing her way into the world of Hollywood celebrities.

Mulvaney’s rise among social media influencers was apparent last month month when Vice President Kamala Harris wrote her an anniversary letter to celebrate her ‘365th day of living authentically.’

She’d already met the boss, President Joe Biden, at the White House, in October.

Recently, the trans poster girl revealed how her personal relationships have fallen apart, that she struggles to get a date — and is still to be kissed ‘as a girl’.

Mulvaney has won allies in the White House and Hollywood, but she has struggled to gain standing in the trans community, and is often described as more akin to a drag queen, a pantomime performer, or a grifter.