Bud Light

Skills: Crisis Management, Strategic Communications, Corporate Communications

For a course in Strategic Communications, I was tasked with responding to a real brand crisis from the past year. Looking at one of the most prominent examples, my team chose to tackle the Bud Light crisis. We developed an executive statement, press release and OP-ED by Bud Light’s CMO to be published immediately following the incident to reduce harm to Dylan Mulvaney and the brand. Additionally, we suggest Bud Light release an advertising campaign in the months after the crisis to reestablish the brand amongst consumers.

November 2023

The Problem

In April 2023, Bud Light received backlash from conservative politicians, celebrities, and internet personalities for partnering with transgender actress and social media influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, on a March Madness promotion. The boycott caused a 11-21% decline in Bud Light sales and a 1% decline in Anheuser-Busch sales during the month following the advertisement. In order to stabilize their sales and brand perceptions, it’s important that Bud Light addresses the backlash and stays true to their goals and values to preserve the authenticity, and thus the long-term success, of their brand.