US Senator Ted Cruz’s Bid to Punish Bud Light Fails After Claiming Dylan Mulvaney Advertising Targeted Minors

(Photo: AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

On Wednesday, the Beer Insitute’s Code Compliance Review Board (CCRB) ruled in favor of Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light. The ruling comes after Senator Ted Cruz of Texas along with Masha Blackburn of Tennessee sent a letter detailing how the company and Dylan Mulvaney violated advertising guidelines. 

Last month, Cruz issued a memo that served as an update to a letter sent in May. Among the claims presented by Cruz was an argument that trans influencer Mulvaney’s advertisement of Bud Light targeted minors under the legal drinking age. If true, then Mulvaney’s Instagram posts would have allegedly violated “the Beer Institute’s Advertising/Marketing Code and Buying Guidelines prohibiting marketing to individuals younger than the legal drinking age.”

 

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CCRB referenced Senator Cruz’s claim as part of its ruling.

“While the CCRB has addressed a number of issues in our report, we want to make two points crystal clear that when taken together make it impossible to conclude that Anheuser-Busch violated the Code. First, there is absolutely nothing in the Mulvaney Instagram posts in question that would ‘have a special attractiveness’ to people below the legal drinking age,” the ruling said, as reported by Newsweek.

Paul Summers, the former Tenessee attorney general, was the only member of the Beer Institute’s CCRB to dissent. 

“This writer, a CCRB board member, finds that the brewer has violated the Code as to advertising and marketing to people below the legal drinking age. The complainant/s have met the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence,” read the dissent.

Summers appeared quite convinced by Cruz’s arguments and made several references to them as a part of the dissent.

“Dylan Mulvaney has a persona wherein the actor looks and acts like a little girl. Mulvaney appeals to little children and often behaves like one,” read Summers’s dissent. “The actor celebrated the 365 days of ‘Girlhood.’ An actor, entertainer, or social media influencer, Mulvaney appeals to persons below the legal drinking age with a “special attractiveness.” Mulvaney is especially attractive to young teens and girls; is often recognized as preadolescent; and caters to very young people.”

Cruz applauded Summers’s “courage” for his dissent in a statement released by the U.S. Senate Commission on Commerce, Science and Transportation, of which Cruz is a ranking member. The senator and Summers both made a point out of calling Mulvaney “he,” which is not the influencer’s chosen pronoun.

“While I am disappointed but unsurprised with the ruling from the other two panelists on the board, I will continue efforts to shine a spotlight on how Anheuser-Busch chose a spokesperson meant to appeal to children. If marketing tobacco to minors is effectively illegal, perhaps Congress needs to take action to do the same with alcohol in light of Anheuser-Busch’s actions,” stated Senator Ted Cruz.

Although the CCRB decision could be considered a win, Bud Light appears to be still facing fallout following conservative led boycotts. For the second month in a row, Modelo Especial has taken the top spot as the most-sold beer in the US. In contrast, Bud Light suffered a 23.6% decline in sales during the July 4th week compared to the previous year. Also, over the four-week period leading up to July 8, Bud Lights sales were 27.1% lower than the previous year. Things haven’t been looking good for the beer giant lately.

At the moment, Cruz may get away with showboating at the expense of disenfranchising a minority group, however going after big alcohol would be quite an undertaking. It could also be considered a fiscal mistake since Anheuser-Busch PAC has made major contributions to Republican party members including Cruz who received thousands of dollars for his re-election campaign.

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