Harley-Davidson Comes Out on Top After Anheuser-Busch Partnership Backlash

While Harvey-Davidson is weathering a storm of controversy over its recently unveiled partnership with Budweiser, the motorcycle manufacturer's popularity on social media is continuing to rise.

Last week, new Budweiser cans were unveiled, which feature logos from the beer maker and Harley-Davidson to commemorate the bike company's 120th anniversary. The designs are inspired by original hand-drawn blueprints from each of the brands, according to Beverage Industry.

However, the cans—which include the words "Kings of our Craft" and "Brewed and built in the USA"—ignited increased furor among a faction of detractors who over the past several weeks have been boycotting Bud Light.

In early April, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared a video on Instagram in which she explained that Bud Light had sent her a beer can with her face on it to commemorate 365 days of her living as a woman. Mulvaney's Days of Girlhood video series, which charts her first year of transitioning, has been a viral success.

The partnership drew condemnation from a number of conservative social media users who issued calls for a boycott. Musician Kid Rock shared footage of him opening fire on a stack of Bud Light cans, a move that was copied by model Bri Teresi as she took aim at a range of brands.

Amid the criticism and reports of plummeting sales, some Bud Light executives took a leave of absence, including marketing head Alissa Heinerscheid and Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch's mainstream brands.

As a result of the backlash, the timing of the release of Budweiser's Harley-Davidson's cans proved to be somewhat problematic, with detractors only ramping up their objections to products associated with Anheuser-Busch. Some social media users have also declared their intention to add Harley-Davidson to their boycott list.

Despite this, Harley-Davidson has so far continued to build on its social media following, even if by relatively modest margins. Over the past 30 days—up to and including May 25—the brand's Instagram followers have gone up by 1,920 to hold its 5.5 million audience count steady, per SocialBlade. Meanwhile, 212 extra users followed the company's Twitter account, adding to its tally of more than 489,000.

Notably, Harley-Davidson has not posted the Budweiser partnership on its social media accounts. The Budweiser Instagram account has shared multiple images of its limited edition Harley-Davidson-themed cans.

While things are holding steady for Harley-Davidson on social media, Bud Light is still locked in something of a PR crisis. In recent weeks, a number of social-media users have shared photos and videos of Bud Light on store shelves and at venues in a bid to illustrate the purported success of their boycott of the beer brand.

The Bud Light backlash has spilled beyond social media criticism and boycotts while a bomb squad was recently dispatched to an Anheuser-Busch facility in Los Angeles following a threatening email.

An Anheuser-Busch employee told Patch Media that other threats were made to facilities across the U.S. after Mulvaney's Bud Light post.

In an April 14 press release, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the company had no intention of dividing people.

"We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer," read the statement. "I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands, and our partners.

"I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors, and others. Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."

Conservative TV personality Tomi Lahren recently claimed that "mass layoffs" are in the pipeline at Bud Light as a result of the backlash.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Bud Light and Harley-Davidson via email for comment.