Anheuser-Busch InBev will triple its marketing spending on Bud Light this summer as part of an effort to prop up the top-selling beer brand, which is bleeding sales and market share in the wake of consumer uproar over a partnership with transgender influencer.

AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris addressed Bud Light’s Dylan Mulvaney controversy for the first time during a conference call reviewing the brewer’s first-quarter financial results Thursday morning. He said that the brewer was marshaling global resources to support the U.S. He attempted to downplay the influencer marketing that ignited right-wing outrage, which involved Mulvaney posting on Instagram a custom can Bud Light sent her with an image of her face on it. 

“We will need to continue to clarify the fact that this was one can, one influencer, one post, and not a campaign, and repeat this message for some time,” Doukeris said, later suggesting there is “misinformation and confusion” about what Bud Light did.

He did not articulate the brewer's position on LGBTQ+ rights. The company has come under increased pressure from progressive groups for failing to defend Mulvaney as she has been the target of conservative anger.

Read more: LGBTQ+ group slams Bud Light

Financial support and a marketing boost

Bud Light sales tanked in April, with the most recent Nielsen figures showing a 26.1% decline in volume for the week ended April 22.

Doukeris said it was too early to have a full view of the impact but said the company has experience managing challenging situations including COVID. The sales decline over the first three weeks of April is equal to about 1% of AB InBev’s global volumes for the period, Doukeris said, adding that the company was maintaining its full-year global outlook.

Wholesalers and other frontline workers have received “direct financial support” from the company, Doukeris said.

“This situation has impacted our people, especially our frontline workers, the delivery drivers, sales representatives, our wholesalers, bar owners and servers,” he said. “These people are the fabric of our business. They are our neighbors, family members and friends. They are in every community in America.”

Doukeris said the company has “significantly increased” its investments behind Bud Light including tripling its marketing spend over the summer. It wasn’t immediately clear how much new spending that indicated as executives had previously forecast a “consistent and cohesive” ad plan through the year.

AB InBev’s U.S. measured media spending on Bud Light was $98 million in 2022, according to Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics.

‘The beer itself should not be the focus of the debate’

Doukeris indicated the brand would steer clear of controversy, emphasizing that Bud Light would leverage associations with sports and music.

“Everything we do should be about beer, and should promote beer,” Doukeris said. “Beer is an essential part of life's meaningful moments, whether in sports, music, or celebrations. These are moments that bring people together, and this is why I love beer. While beer will always be at the table when important topics are debated, the beer itself should not be the focus of the debate.”

Doukeris added: “We need to understand the current environment, and especially the social media landscape, and how consumer brands, especially big brands with significant reach, can be pulled into a discussion like this one.”

For the first quarter—which ended before Mulvaney's post and the subsequent backlash—AB InBev's U.S. revenue grew by 4%, with revenue per hectoliter increasing by 5.6%, driven by so-called premiumization, which refers to selling more high-end products that have higher prices. Sales to wholesalers dipped by 1.6% in the quarter and sales to retailers fell by 3%, which the company indicated was below the industry, meaning it lost share.

Rival Molson Coors' Coors Light and Miller Lite brands increased sales volume in the first quarter, it reported earlier this week. Molson Coors' first-quarter profit beat analysts' expectations.