Republican U.S. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee are leading an inquiry into the relationship between Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, and Dylan Mulvaney. Their concerns center around who precisely the multinational drink and brewing company was targeting with its marketing strategies.
The letter was jointly addressed to Brendan Whitworth, CEO of Anheuser-Busch and Chairman of the Beer Institute. The Beer Institute is an organization that represents the $328 billion beer industry in the United States. The senators have asked Whitworth, in his dual roles, and the Beer Institute’s Code Compliance Review Board, to delve into the possibility of a breach of the Beer Institute’s Advertising/Marketing Code and Buying Guidelines through this partnership. The code and guidelines explicitly forbid marketing efforts directed towards individuals who have not yet reached the legally permitted age for alcohol consumption.
Their call for investigation does not stop there. In their joint correspondence, the senators have sought a plethora of documentation, seeking to gain a deeper understanding of how Anheuser-Busch undertakes the evaluation of its partnerships. They specifically want to uncover the process by which the brewing giant failed in assessing the appropriateness of forming a business relationship with Dylan Mulvaney.
Senators Cruz and Blackburn are pushing for this inquiry in an effort to ensure the stringent adherence to the existing advertising regulations in the alcohol industry, with a particular focus on protecting the underaged demographic.
