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By James Brinsford
US Pop Culture & Sports Reporter
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The negative response to Bud Light's advert for July 4 has not affected one of the stars of the marketing campaign, as he continues to add new followers to his social media.
Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl-winning star Travis Kelce features in the new, high-profile ad released on Sunday, but the clip was met with indifference. Bud Light's parent company Anheuser-Busch was accused of "desperate" marketing following a sustained backlash to a partnership earlier in the year with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The 15-second spot on YouTube features several men including Kelce grunting as they sit down before one cracks open a Bud Light can.
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The ad seems a return to appealing primarily to male beer drinkers. However, many commenters said that the damage had been done with the Mulvaney controversy and the brand's response to being accused of alienating its traditional customer base with the partnership. Some in the LGBTQ+ community have also slammed the company for not defending its ties with Mulvaney.
Kelce has seen an upturn in followers on social media since the weekend, though, adding over 400 newcomers to his channels, according to Social Blade, a social-media analytics website.
On Sunday, when the ad was released, Kelce saw a drop of only six people from his Instagram followers, while Bud Light faced a barrage of negativity. Since then, Kelce has added over 100 new followers a day, taking his total to over 926,000.
The fallout over the ad continued on Wednesday, when Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren waded in on Bud Light.
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Speaking on Fox News, Lahren said: "That was a great ad, but if they had not done what they did in late March, early April, that would have been a great ad.
"But they are not acknowledging the problem, so it really doesn't matter how many patriotic ads they put out, how many Budweiser sales they put out, how many American flags they wave and barbecues until they address the issue. This will not stop.
"It is so sad as there are so many great Americans who work for this company, but until the head honchos who own Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, InBev, until they do something, this is not going to stop anytime soon. I promise you that," Lahren added.
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