BUT THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY LOVES BUD LIGHT

Del Papa 'upset' about Bud Light promotion with trans influencer

 

By Laura  Elder 

 

Galveston County Daily News

April 25, 2023

                                                             This Bud's for you

TEXAS CITY -- Del Papa Distributing this week asked consumers not to let 113 years of goodwill go down the drain over a controversial Bud Light promotion involving a transgender social media personality.

“Since April 1, there has been a lot of discussion, frustration and even anger across the country regarding a can of Bud Light that was produced for a social media influencer,” Texas City-based Del Papa Distributing said Monday in a statement. “We too are upset with this situation and have been vocal about it with the top leadership at Anheuser-Busch.”

Del Papa, a beer and beverage distributor founded in Galveston in 1910, doesn’t produce any of the products nor make marketing decisions for the brands it sells, the company said.

 

Del Papa Distributing, with headquarters at 1220 Gulf Freeway in Texas City, distributes beer, including Bud Light and other Anheuser-Busch products, and beverages to restaurants, bars and stores in 17 Texas counties.

 

The partnership between beer brand Bud Light and actress, comedian and TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney, who has more than 10.8 million followers on social media, hit the internet April 1 when Mulvaney posted a video on Instagram showing herself cracking open a can of Bud Light and the hashtag #budlightpartner, according to reports.

That can featured an image of Mulvaney, who is known for documenting her gender transition from a man to a woman on social media. The partnership between Bud Light and Mulvaney was met with scorn and calls for boycotts by some prominent conservatives and celebrities, including often outspoken country artist Travis Tritt, who declared a personal boycott of Anheuser-Busch products. An anti-woke campaign ensued.

Earlier this month, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light with a rifle, yelling “f— Bud Light and f— Anheuser-Busch.”

But Mulvaney also found support among celebrities, including radio and TV personality Howard Stern, who pointed out Kid Rock has many songs about doing his own thing and Stern didn’t understand what upset him about Mulvaney, according to reports.

“I’m not bothered by gay people or transsexual people,” Stern said. “They don’t impact my life; they don’t hurt my life. I love when people are in love. You wanna be a woman? Be a woman. You wanna be a dude, be a dude. Be whatever you f—ing want. As long as you ain’t hurting anybody, I’m on your team.”

Del Papa Distributing, with headquarters at 1220 Gulf Freeway in Texas City, distributes beer, including Bud Light and other Anheuser-Busch products, and beverages to restaurants and stores in 17 Texas counties.

Although Del Papa released a lengthy statement, representatives didn’t respond Tuesday to calls and an email about whether the controversy had hurt its sales or how it might be negatively affecting its more than 350 employees.

Del Papa Distributing wanted to set the record straight about false information, including social media reports that Anheuser-Busch was going bankrupt over the marketing campaign. Del Papa in the statement also said people were creating fake, photoshopped images with political messages, none of which are real or true.

“Therefore, we want to provide some clarification to our local business partners and friends about what we know to be true,” the company said.

A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch InBev on Tuesday told the Associated Press there was “no truth” to the claim the world’s largest beer maker is on the verge of financial ruin. Industry experts note the company remains financially sound, with billions of dollars in assets and a rising stock price. Sales of Bud Light have ebbed in recent weeks, but not to the drastic level claimed by online critics.

Del Papa Distributing in its statement went onto say it had no control over the media presence of Anheuser-Busch, its largest brewer partner.

“The Bud Light influencer’s post, which ignited the current controversy and then went viral, was not intended as a political statement,” Del Papa Distributing said. “In fact, the single can at the center of the controversy was not even produced in an Anheuser-Busch brewery. It was the result of a third-party agency.”

But the fallout was fast and furious for Bud Light.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA this week said it had placed on leave two executives who oversaw a Bud Light collaboration with Mulvaney.

“The unfortunate reality that it happened without higher-level approval exposed a concerning lack of oversight for brand marketing decisions,” Del Papa Distributing said in its statement. “That lack of oversight had been addressed, and, as a result, AB has changed reporting responsibilities within the marketing department. Most importantly, in our view, the Bud Light brand has new leadership.

“The importance of that decision means that the voices of upset consumers have been heard and that those responsible for harming the highly respected reputation of Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch are no longer able to do so.”

Although sales of Bud Light are down year-over-year in recent weeks, there’s no sign the Anheuser-Busch has been mortally wounded, industry experts told The Associated Press this week.

“Not only is it not going bankrupt, the lost sales of Bud Light are nearly negligible in relation to its global sales, at least so far,” Harry Schuhmacher, publisher of Beer Business Daily, an industry trade publication, wrote in an email to the AP.

Trevor Stirling, an analyst at the financial research firm Bernstein who specializes in the beer industry, told The AP Anheuser-Busch likely would survive the controversy.

“Weakness on its biggest U.S. brand will provide some short-term pain,” he wrote in an email. “But it has billions of dollars of cash reserves and no major debt repayments for several years.”

Bud Light is among the top-selling beer brands worldwide, but it’s just one of many long-popular brands owned by Anheuser-Busch.

Del Papa Distributing was founded by Italian immigrant Omero Del Papa in Galveston in 1910. The company has since grown to distribute a variety of brands throughout the Texas Gulf Coast in three major markets, representing 35 suppliers, providing a route to market for national, regional, local craft and import beers, non-alcoholic beverages, energy drinks and more.

“We ask for your continued support of our brands, our business and our hard-working employee partners, many who have been negatively impacted by upset consumers while simply doing their jobs,” Del Papa Distributing said.

“Please do not allow an unfortunate decision to jeopardize the goodwill we have earned over many years of being good friends and neighbors in our communities.”