- Bud Light and its parent company have faced boycott calls for partnering with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
- But a new poll has found that a majority of American beer drinkers prefer brands that partner with trans influencers.
- A majority of beer drinkers also favored brands that hire more inclusive talent, for example. Morning consultation.
Despite recent backlash, a majority of American beer drinkers appear to approve of brand partnerships with transgender personalities.
It’s according to a new survey by Morning Consult which surveyed 4,401 people two weeks after trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney announced its partnership with Bud Light on April 1.
Some right-wing groups – who have makes transphobia key of their national message – immediately reviled MulvaneyBud Light, and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, call for a massive boycott.
Yet, of monthly beer drinkers surveyed by Morning Consult, 53% said they had a very favorable or somewhat favorable response to a brand hiring a transgender spokesperson.
Additionally, 61% of regular beer drinkers responded very or somewhat favorably to brands hiring more inclusive ad talent.
The survey also asked respondents about their political affiliations. Some 66% of Democrats had favorable responses while 49% of Republicans had unfavorable responses.
That said, the results among Republicans were by no means unanimous, despite recent outrage from some unhappy with Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney. About a quarter of respondents who identified as Republican responded positively to brands that hire transgender spokespersons.
Either way, Bud Light is still feeling the heat of the backlash.
bud light sales were down 17% this week compared to the same period a year earlier, and key marketing executives involved in the Mulvaney campaign at Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch took time off.
Mulvaney has also teamed up with Nike, prompting similar boycott calls. THE the company responded saying he would not tolerate bullying or hate speech.
It’s not the first boycott the Conservatives have launched, but it may – at least for now – be more successful than previous attempts. In 2018, conservatives called for a boycott of Nike after its partnership with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Despite the noise, Nike later announced booming sales.