You can't apologize for something that many Americans -- maybe most of them -- don't consider wrong.
If you do, then you simply anger a different group than the one that's currently mad at you without fixing things with the first aggrieved party.
That's the impossible position in which Anheuser-Busch (BUD) finds itself after it tried to grow its customer base via a small social-media promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney involving Bud Light.
The company certainly misjudged its core audience, even as its work with Mulvaney was a relatively minor part of its marketing efforts.
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Budweiser didn't put Mulvaney in a Super Bowl ad or introduce a transgender Clydesdale. It simply enlisted the social-media star to post a sponsored video behind a promotion that involved carrying as many beers as possible.
That became fodder for Kid Rock, a rock star who is not exactly at the peak of his popularity, to express outrage at the brand for promoting inclusivity.
The company probably should have at least considered that the effort could prompt this reaction. But the reality is that once it partnered with Mulvaney, there was no winning back the customers who were offended by the message that Budweiser wants everyone to drink its beer.
And that became evident when Budweiser posted an innocuous 4th of July Tweet.
Image source: Anheuser Busch
Bud Light Sales Are Unlikely to Recover
Budweiser isn't unique in promoting LGBQT+ inclusivity, and which companies face a backlash has been arbitrary. Target (TGT) and Walmart (WMT) sell/sold Pride merchandise, but the blowback to Target has been much sharper than what its rival has felt.
Similarly, Walt Disney (DIS) has faced major right-wing pushback, led by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for its public disapproval of his so-called Don't Say Gay legislation and its support of LGBTQ+ employees and customers, while other Florida businesses have not.
You don't see people boycotting Caesars Entertainment (CZR) resorts for hosting "Ru Paul's Drag Race," nor are the major cruise lines facing pressure over LGBTQ+ cruises.
Budweiser didn't do anything that countless other companies aren't doing to reach the broadest audience. Kid Rock may be shocked to know that many companies that sell music gear -- even some of the brands he uses -- openly support LGBTQ+ causes.
It's arbitrary and symbolic, which leaves Budweiser pretty much unable to do anything save act as if things are normal -- even as it loses hundreds of millions in sales.
Budweiser Faces a Twitter Backlash
On June 30 the Bud Light Twitter account posted a pretty innocuous tweet:
"It’s 4th of July weekend, enjoy some beer."
The responses -- 24,400 as of the morning of July 3 -- show the breadth and depth of BUD's problem.
"You’re still tweeting? You’re almost at a $30 BILLION DOLLAR LOSS. Even if you ACTUALLY APOLOGIZED to the country, we’d still drink our own piss before considering buying your piss water ever again," RedTsunami posted.
It's impossible to go through 24,000 Tweets, but it's fair to say the general tenor was not forgiving of the company and decidedly not supportive of inclusivity.
To win back the crowd that's offended by the idea of trans people being wooed by the same beer they drink, the company would have to be hateful in a way that would likely hurt it more than help it.
Budweiser has already hurt its brand with the LGBTQ+ community by not being supportive of Mulvaney. If it actively disavowed that community, the company would find itself the enemy of people on both sides of the aisle.
The company wasn't making a grand statement supporting Mulvaney. It was using them (Mulvaney uses they/them/theirs) to reach more customers. There's no credible way to apologize for that because it's marketing, not politics.
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