This week’s discussion on how we market to the LGBTQ population got me thinking a lot about the recent scandal involving Bud Light. Back in March, Bud Light launched a campaign involving transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and it included rainbow-colored cans of the beer. What followed was a load of backlash from anti-trans and LGBTQ populations. People started to boycott Bud Light, refusing to buy the beer. The article I read this week talks about the boycotts and the ways that corporate America has to navigate through this growing division amongst our population.

There are other companies the article mentions that have faced recent backlash for their pro-LGBTQ initiatives. Target employees were facing threats from customers who didn’t support their Pride Month merchandise, to the point where the company has decided to pull some of its merchandise. Starbucks locations can no longer decorate for Pride Month over fear that there will be retaliation of some sort. Even Disney World is having its fair share of clashes with Florida governor Ron DeSantis over his policies surrounding the LGBTQ population.

Seeing all of these examples of the hate and division that still exists among us really gets me thinking a lot about how we should be marketing to this population. We’ve read this week that there are steps forward that are happening when it comes to inclusion and acceptance. In fact, the majority of consumers fall under the umbrella of being willing to embrace the LGBTQ population. However, this article and these boycotts prove that there is still a level of hate in the world that cannot go away. I think the biggest challenge for marketers in this situation is to figure out the best way to create your inclusive environment while still catering to your target audience.

Bud Light, for example, should know the demographic that it generally serves. It is just a fact that a lot of typically right-leaning people would be supporters of the brand. These people sometimes might not be accepting of the LGBTQ population and the inclusive marketing Bud Light was going for. It is an interesting added issue that marketers now have to face. Almost everything is politically charged in today’s society, with the social and political getting mixed together. Companies have to make decisions based on their values, but also the values of their customers in order to be successful. It is a balancing act I do not envy, and it will be fascinating to see how the future of marketing reacts to this polarized environment going forward.