1. Why it worked
You know the story by now. Bud Light sent trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney some cans of their beer with his face on it. Dylan recorded a video of himself drinking the beer, and conservatives had had enough.
The resulting boycott means Bud Light is on track to be overtaken by Modelo as the country’s most popular beer. Sales are down almost 30% over this time last year.
Conservatives aren’t new to boycotts. Anyone remember Proctor & Gamble in the 1980s? Or the repeated calls throughout the years to boycott Disney? Actually, people on both sides of the aisle have frequently and enthusiastically encouraged their followers to boycott tons of products that they believe go against their values.
But I’ve never seen anything like Bud Light.
There are a few unique reasons that this one is so successful. For starters, there are two videos that went viral and helped galvanize conservatives. The first was Mulvaney himself, drinking a Bud Light beer with his picture on the can. The second was a video of singer Kid Rock in an idyllic setting next to a lake, blasting away at Bud Light cans.
These beers aren’t radically different, which means beer companies differentiate themselves by building an image for the company that you identify with (or want to, anyway). When Bud Light’s image no longer aligned with its customers, those customers reacted.
Finally, it was easy to just pick something else. You didn’t even have to defend yourself if you didn’t feel like it. If you’re out at a bar with friends, and you order a beer other than Bud, no one asks why you didn’t order the Bud. They simply assume you like something else. There’s no real drawback for you.
Of course, there have been other conservative boycotts like Target and Disney in recent months, too. I tend to agree with Sen. Ted Cruz on those, though. They may take a hit now, but they’re not in the same position as Bud Light. If your kids want to go to Disney World, it’s hard to find a suitable alternative. And if those same kids need inexpensive clothes and maybe something for dinner and Target is your closest store, it’s harder to keep that up.
With Bud Light, the stars aligned to create the perfect (or worst, depending on your point of view) scenario possible.
2. Military base drag show canceled
The Department of Defense canceled a planned drag show at Nellis Air Force base in Las Vegas, Nevada. The local Pride Council was going to offer a free “family-friendly” drag show at the beginning of Pride Month. It was canceled, with officials saying that hosting those types of events in federally funded facilities was not a “suitable use of DOD resources.”
3. Canada’s going to re-introduce online censorship
The Canadian government plans to bring back a bill that will regulate speech online by the end of the year. has confirmed that it will bring back a bill aimed at regulating speech on the internet by the end of the year.
4. No Meta news in California
Facebook’s parent company Meta says they’ll pull news from Facebook in California if a proposed journalism bill passes. The bill would require Facebook to pay news outlets a usage fee for posting their stories.
It worked via these:
United effort
effect beer drinkers nationwide etc (though I like whiskey, wine, vodka, tequila)
Celebs spoke up
Actions taken
Nationwide
Now apply to other Woke companies to