Social media star Dylan Mulvaney says he tried to ‘fix’ the Bud Light bamboozle by floating the idea of a commercial where a cowboy and a transgender person share a beer.However, the company failed to respond.“I think humour can be very healing, and I think it can appeal to both sides,” Mulvaney said of the “idea of how to fix last year’s situation” during a panel titled ‘When Beer Goes Viral’ at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) in Austin this week..It was the first time the person at the heart of the suds scandal that cost Bud Light maker Anheuser Busch billions in lost revenue and market share has spoken out on the star-crossed tie up that has been described as one of the worst marketing campaigns in history.Last March, Mulvaney appeared in a social media campaign dubbed ‘365 Days of Girlhood’ documenting her transition from a man while swilling Bud Light.That prompted a backlash that reportedly cost the company more than $1.4 billion in sales. Bud Light, which was previously the best-selling beer brand in the US, slipped to fourth spot — behind good old Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois — while celebrities such as Kid Rock took to shooting up pallets of the beer with an AR-15..Bud Light tried to regain its image with multi-million dollar advertising partnerships with the UFC and NFL ads at the Super Bowl. During his discussion, Mulvaney complained of being harassed and stalked, even facing death threats. He also recalled coming out as trans to his mother at four years old during the panel, which was described on the festival website as a discussion about ‘the role of brands and media in fighting hate’.“I then lived my life in the incorrect gender for quite a while,” Mulvaney said, noting that Tuesday marked his “second year of womanhood.”.Mulvaney also criticized the company for leaving him “high and dry” in the wake of the scandal and indicated that ‘she’ now includes riders in contracts in the event of boycotts.The scandal hasn’t hurt his career and may even have helped it. Mulvaney went on to score partnership deals with major brands such as Nike, Kate Spade and Ulta Beauty.He has also worked with Lady Gaga's Haus Labs cosmetics company, skincare line CeraVe, MAC, KIND Snacks, KitchenAid, Ole Henriksen, Instacart, K18, Aritzia and Rent the Runway.Last year Mulvaney graced the covers of Them and The Cut magazines. Allure magazine even named him on its A-list for 2023.Last week, Lady Gaga criticized people for not recognizing Mulvaney on international Women’s Day.Founded in 1987 in Austin, the SXSW festival is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education and culture.
