Bud Light may have fumbled its attempt to broaden its customer base by partnering with a transgender influencer. But experts say inclusive marketing is simply good business B次元官网网址� and itB次元官网网址檚 here to stay.

B次元官网网址淎 few years from now, we will look back on this B次元官网网址榗ontroversyB次元官网网址� with the same embarrassment that we feel when we look back at B次元官网网址榗ontroversiesB次元官网网址� from the past surrounding things like interracial couples in advertising,B次元官网网址� said Sarah Reynolds, the chief marketing officer for the human resources platform HiBob, who identifies as queer.

On April 1, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a video of herself cracking open a Bud Light on her Instagram page. She showed off a can with her face on it that Bud Light sent her B次元官网网址� one of many corporate freebies she gets and shares with her millions of followers.

But unlike the dress from Rent the Runway or the trip to Denmark from skincare brand Ole Henriksen, Bud LightB次元官网网址檚 partnership with Mulvaney angered some customers and hurt sales, while the brandB次元官网网址檚 lack of support for the influencer infuriated the very people it was trying to reach.

Three days after MulvaneyB次元官网网址檚 post, Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cases of Bud Light. Shares of Bud LightB次元官网网址檚 parent, AB InBev, temporarily plunged and the company issued a terse statement in response to the controversy.

This week, Anheuser-Busch B次元官网网址� AB InBevB次元官网网址檚 U.S. subsidiary B次元官网网址� confirmed that Alissa Heinerscheid, its vice president of marketing, and her boss, Daniel Blake, are . The company wonB次元官网网址檛 say when they will return or whether theyB次元官网网址檙e being paid.

For some, the partnership went too far at a time when transgender issues B次元官网网址� including and B次元官网网址� are a .

B次元官网网址淲hether the issue is trans people or anything else, the majority of consumers are pretty vocal about the fact they donB次元官网网址檛 want brands lecturing them or stuffing politics or social issues down their throat,B次元官网网址� said John Frigo, the head of digital marketing for Best Price Nutrition. B次元官网网址淚f you sell beer, just make beer and leave it at that.B次元官网网址�

But others B次元官网网址� including Heinerscheid herself B次元官网网址� say reaching out to younger and more diverse consumers is crucial. According to a 2021 Gallup poll, 21% of people in Generation Z identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, compared to 3% of Baby Boomers. Gallup has also found that younger consumers are the most likely to want brands to promote diversity and take a stand on social issues.

B次元官网网址淚 had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light. And it was, this brand is in decline. ItB次元官网网址檚 been in decline for a very long time. And if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,B次元官网网址� Heinerscheid said last month in an episode of AppleB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淢ake Yourself at HomeB次元官网网址� podcast.

Bud Light and Mulvaney declined requests to talk to The Associated Press for this story.

Bud Light has long been AmericaB次元官网网址檚 best-selling beer. But its U.S. sales are down 2% so far this year, part of a long-running decline as younger consumers flock to sparking seltzers and other drinks, according to Bump Williams Consulting. Those sales declines in April. The week ending April 15, Bud LightB次元官网网址檚 sales dropped 17% compared to the same week a year ago. Meanwhile, rivals Miller Lite and Coors Lite both saw their sales jump more than 17%.

Marketing experts say itB次元官网网址檚 possible Bud LightB次元官网网址檚 experience will cause other brands to rethink using transgender people in their advertising. Joanna Schwartz, a professor at Georgia College and State University who teaches a course on LGBTQ+ marketing, said companies will still want to reach transgender consumers and their supporters, but might shift to social media and more targeted ads.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e walking an extremely fine line. They want to appeal to everyone, but that includes people who donB次元官网网址檛 like each other,B次元官网网址� Schwartz said of Bud Light.

Still, Schwartz said, there are plenty of brands that have successfully featured transgender or non-binary people in their marketing. In 2016, Secret deodorant ran an ad featuring a transgender woman in a bathroom stall, debating whether to walk out and face other women at the sink. Pantene shampoo has run ads and short films supporting transgender people in 2021 as part of its Hair Has No Gender project. And Coca-ColaB次元官网网址檚 2018 Super Bowl ad featured young people using different pronouns to describe themselves.

Thomas Murphy, an associate professor of branding at Clark University, said he tells brands that want to be inclusive to run ads with real people who can talk about the companyB次元官网网址檚 efforts.

B次元官网网址淭hey can have employees who say, B次元官网网址業 love Bud Light. I have worked here for 20 years, there are inclusive programs and I came here because I wanted a company that would embrace me,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲ho couldnB次元官网网址檛 see and hear that person and say, B次元官网网址榃hat a great companyB次元官网网址�?B次元官网网址�

Instead, Bud Light wound up alienating even transgender customers because it didnB次元官网网址檛 support Mulvaney after the boycott calls began, Schwartz said. Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement on April 14 but it didnB次元官网网址檛 specifically mention the controversy.

B次元官网网址淲e never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,B次元官网网址� Whitworth said.

By comparison, Nike B次元官网网址� which also faced some boycott threats after sending workout clothes to Mulvaney B次元官网网址� supported the transgender community in an Instagram post, encouraging followers to be kind and inclusive. Nike didnB次元官网网址檛 respond to requests for comment.

Manveer Mann, an associate professor of marketing at the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University, said Bud Light should have anticipated the backlash and had a plan in place to handle it.

Nike learned that lesson in 2018, when it B次元官网网址� who had protested police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem B次元官网网址� in its ads. Mann said Nike briefly faced boycott threats, but it stood by Kaepernick and its sales quickly recovered.

Mann thinks Bud LightB次元官网网址檚 sales will ultimately recover, too. But in the meantime, itB次元官网网址檚 alienating everyone, she said.

B次元官网网址淭he communication from Bud Light is not clear. Is this coming from your value set or are these things just trending?B次元官网网址� Mann said. B次元官网网址淵ou have to know what your values are and what are the values of the customers you are trying to reach.B次元官网网址�

Dee-ann Durbin, The Associated Press

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