It’s been around half a year since Kid Rock posted a video where he shot cases of Bud Light in response to the brand’s partnership with transgender actress Dylan Mulvaney.
Since then, sales of the beer have tumbled. Now the US chief marketing officer of its parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, is resigning.
According to CNN Business, CMO Benoit Garbe is resigning “at the end of the year in order to embark on a new chapter in his career,” citing a Wednesday statement from the company. Per the outlet, Garbe has been in the position for just over two years and Anheuser-Busch said its chief commercial officer, Kyle Norrington, will oversee marketing after Garbe’s departure.
Marketing Direct said that Garbe will be leaving at the end of the year.
“These senior leadership changes will accelerate our return to growth as we continue to focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter,” said Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth in an emailed statement cited by NBC News.
CNN Business reported that backlash against the company continues more than six months after Mulvaney’s brief promotional video was posted to Instagram. As others joined Kid Rock’s boycott of the brand, sales tumbled. Modelo took over Bud Light’s long-held top spot.
“The world’s biggest brewer reported a 13.5% decline in third-quarter US revenue per 100 liters, a key measure of beer sales,” said CNN Business. “The brand’s Bud Light customers abandoned the beer after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and botched its response to the controversy.”
Mulvaney herself criticized Bud Light amid the controversy for not standing by her even as she received death threats.
According to an August report from KMOX, Billy Busch, the heir to the Anheuser-Busch family fortune, made headlines when he said in a TMZ interview that his ancestors “would have rolled over in their graves” in regards to the Bud Light controversy with Mulvaney, and then doubled down on the comment. He said that the “typical” Bud Light drinker doesn’t want that type of messaging and that the thinks the stigma will impact the company for some time.
Mulvaney’s clip was short and posted only to her own Instagram feed.
As backlash against the partnership grew, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced it would lay off around 350 people. However, by this summer it appeared that both Kid Rock and some conservatives were ready for the boycott to end. Others were still holding on, and even became upset at conservative station FOX News for airing a commercial for Anheuser-Busch.
CNN Business said Garbe’s departure could be part of plans to turn things around for the Bud Light brand. It said company research mentioned by AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris during a Tuesday analyst call indicates that 40% of the customers who turned from the beer would be willing to give it another chance.