Does Bud Light Beer Have A Masculinity Problem?

These are polarizing times and Bud Light remains in a tailspin following its brief, but ultimately costly, partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer whose image was put on a Bud Light beer can to celebrate the activist’s “365 Days of Girlhood.”

The initial Dylan Mulvaney announcement took place on April 1 and in spite of Anheuser-Busch’s many efforts to put the matter to bed the brand has been experiencing serious sales declines ever since then.

On the public relations front Anheuser-Busch has been relatively quiet since the initial Dylan Mulvaney post, it’s understandable. But clearly what the company saw as a social media attempt to expand their base has backfired bigtime.

It must not be lost on them that their alliance with a transgender activist has alienated many of their core consumers (primarily men) who aren’t necessarily even political, but just not comfortable with Dylan Mulvaney’s journey being associated with the beer they identify with.

Which brings us to the question “Does Bud Light Have a Masculinity Problem?”.

And their most recent announcement, that they’d signed a bigtime multi-year partnership with UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, with more than 700 million fans and 243 million social media followers (the majority of those men), might suggest that at least to some degree they might worry that they have.

Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. And this new partnership is about as big as it gets, the UFC is huge (again especially with men), it’s a testosterone-driven phenomenon and we suspect that Anheuser-Busch paid dearly for the long-term alliance.

This from the Anheuser-Busch announcement…

Effective January 1, 2024, the brewer will become the exclusive “Official Beer Partner of UFC.” With this sponsorship, in the U.S., Bud Light will bring easy enjoyment to 21+ fans with 360-degree programming, including custom social and digital content, broadcast integration, on-site presence, and more.   

And this from UFC CEO Dana White, an outspoken character and Trump supporter who might be seen as just as polarizing as Dylan Mulvaney, but to different people with different points of view…

“Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC’s original beer sponsors more than fifteen years ago. I’m proud to announce we are back in business together. There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for. I’m looking forward to all of the incredible things we will do in the years ahead.”

So yeah, Dana White’s in…and then some.

“Bud Light’s investment will give the company significant presence in the octagon,” reports the Daily Mail, “with their branding dominating a large part of the floorspace while also being used on other sponsorship material. UFC’s multi-year deal with Bud Light is reportedly worth over £87million-per-year.”

Modelo, now the best-selling beer brand in the US in wake of the Bud Light trans fiasco, has served as the UFC’s primary beer sponsor for the past four years.

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