In 2023, Bud Light faced a media crisis derived from the polemic caused by a video done in collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The viral piece of content featured Mulvaney showing a can of beer Bud Light especially prepared with her face on it and the phrase “Cheers to 365 Days of Being a Girl”.
The case study describes the evolution of the incident into a social and economic boycott, and the company’s response to the different media to address the growing crisis. The questions raised by the case study are: How could America’s largest beer brand recover from this crisis? Did the company make a mistake in collaborating with Mulvaney and why? How could Bud Light counteract the negative impact on its target market’s perception?