Kid Rock may not speak for all the people who are angry at Anheuser-Busch's (BUD) decision to do a social media promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Rock famously used an automatic weapon to gun down cases of Bud Light -- the beer at the center of the controversy.
He, and many others, seemed angry that the beer company chose to partner with a transgender woman as a way to expand the brand's reach by making it more inclusive. It's a controversy that has seen Bud Light sales drop by close to 30% while its parent company faces boycotts.
DON'T MISS: Bud Light's 4th of July Tweet Shows It Lost the War for America
It's easy to paint everyone who decided to boycott Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch products as homophobic. Many clearly are, an assessment I base on the hateful words in the many emails I receive each time I write about this developing news story. Those emails use slurs and hate speech.
They're not that different from what you see in many social-media posts, but in some cases they are more vile than what you can get away with even on Twitter.
A second group of emails, however, has been more thoughtful.
These have not used any negative speech or hateful words. Instead, they said simply that their issue was not with the original promotion but with comments from Budweiser executives -- specifically former Bud Light Vice President Alissa Heinerscheid
It's important to know that Heinerscheid made the comments, which came from the Make Yourself At Home podcast, before the Mulvaney controversy broke publicly.
They came to light after the scandal broke, but they clearly rubbed many customers (some of whom may not understand the timeline) the wrong way.
Those emails and Twitter direct messages, which I'm not quoting directly because they weren't sent to me for publication, suggest that the story may not be as simple as it has been portrayed.
Anheuser Busch
What Did Bud Light's VP Say?
Many of the emails and messages I have received (and some public comments on Heinerscheid made on social media) cite her as being dismissive of the company's core users. That's not an unfair argument, depending on how you look at some of what she said during the interview.
“We had this hangover, I mean Bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty, kind of out-of-touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach,” she said.
The executive, the first woman to lead the popular brand, said that it was "super clear" that she had a mandate "to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand.” That meant, in her words, incorporating "inclusivity, it means shifting the tone, it means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive, and feels lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and to men.”
“I’m a businesswoman, I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was, ‘This brand is in decline, it’s been in a decline for a really long time, and if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,‘” Heinerscheid said.
Heinerscheid's current status with Anheuser-Busch remains unclear. The company has denied that she has been fired, but there have also been media leaks saying she had been.
In many ways she was just doing her job, and in most cases her comments on a relatively obscure blog would not have been noticed. But in other cases they were taken as a dismissive response to the Mulvaney situation.
Anheuser-Busch's CEO Does Not Help
Once the Kid Rock video broke, the company simply was not going to win back a certain percentage of the Bud Light customer base.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth, however, released a statement that served no audience:
As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.
We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.
We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.
My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another.
As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage. I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others.
These comments say nothing wrapped in an American flag. That has also exposed the company, which is no longer American-owned, to backlash on that front.
Many Twitter posts (and some of my mail) want Budweiser to apologize for the Mulvaney promotion The company hasn't done that, and likely won't, because people getting mad at you does not mean you did something wrong.
Having Heinerscheid apologize -- not for the Mulvaney promotion, but for the "fratty" comments and other remarks that seemed to have angered some Bud Light fans -- would have been more likely but has not happened.
