On April 1, 2023, transgender influencer (of those two words, the latter is the objectionable one) Dylan Mulvaney posted a video of herself cracking open a can of Bud Light that had her image on it. The can had been sent to her by the company, and was part of a new ad campaign by Bud Light designed to be more inclusive and grow their brand beyond the established market of people who enjoy the taste of water that had the word “beer” shouted at it aggressively. Within days of this video being posted, the world exploded as Bud Light drinkers rose up in anger amidst a frenzy of controversy. Apparently, they’re not angry about their awful taste in beer, just the inclusion of a trans lady on the can they slurp it from.
Never one to miss out on a chance to jump on another brand’s bandwagon, Ford has announced that they are also going to court controversy by treating other people like human beings as well. The recently revealed “Super Trans Edition” of the F-150 features a similar transgender influencer and icon in a bold hood graphic, as well as another image of her along each side of the truck, and a final graphic on the rear tailgate. I had a chance to sit down with Czhjorgen Henderschmidt, VP of Outreach Marketing at Ford Motor Company, and he revealed more details about this bold new direction for the company.
The Lemon: Tell me about this new ad campaign.
Czhjorgen Henderschmidt: Hey, Rutherfjord, first let me just say I’m a big fan of your work. That series you did on ways child labor can improve the auto industry? That was great work.” [I attempted to explain that was written to condemn the rise in child labor in the US, but he was busy snorting a substance I was unable to identify]
So, we saw that Bud Light was in the news, like constantly, right? Everywhere we looked it was “Bud Light this” and “Bud Light that,” and we were all, hey, we want in on that!”
We figured the best thing we could do is get our own trans influencer, right? But it needed to be someone who really represents the Ford brand and what we’re all about, what our drivers are really all about. This Dylan chick is hot, like we’d do a calendar of her on the hoods of Ford vehicles or something, but she’s not right as the face of our campaign. We talked about it a bunch internally over shots and came to an easy answer: Caitlyn Jenner! The first lady of trans rights. It was perfect.
TL: How did you get Caitlyn Jenner to agree?
CH: Well, it wasn’t easy. We made some calls and her people weren’t really all that interested at first, but then we just offered more money and it was a deal. That’s all it takes. It’s not like people have some kind of moral standards or anything. Just offer enough money and anyone will do anything.
TL: Why did you choose Caitlyn Jenner?
CH: Oh that’s easy. She’s the perfect choice. Like, people know her name, and she’s recognizable, right? A real icon. Plus she fits our demographic perfectly, I mean what’s she into? Golf? Being weird around the Kardashians? Voting republican? All that old white guy shit! That’s what we wanted to tap into.
TL: She’s a woman though.
CH: Yeah, yeah, she’s a woman, but let’s be honest, she has the values of an old white guy. Like, she doesn’t really care about “trans rights,” just her trans rights, right? That’s perfect for what we were going for, because we didn’t want someone who was going to make a lot of noise or raise a ruckus, just a face for the campaign.
TL: You know this is an interview right? I’m going to print what you’re saying.
CH: True, but no one reads that garbage site of yours.
TL: Fair point.
CH: Yeah, so anyways, we offered her a dump truck full of cash and boom, we had a deal. We did a photo shoot, airbrushed her to look like a 24-year old, and slapped her image on the truck. The new “Super Trans Edition” was born, and we’re pretty sure it’ll appeal to all those whiners on social media, the… What do you call ‘em… Liberal consumers? Whatever, they’ll love this crap.
TL: Aren’t you worried about potential backlash?
CH: We know there’s been a lot of controversy and outrage about the whole Bud Light thing, but that’s what we’re looking to tap into, right? We want that because everyone will be talking about our truck, and we’ll be on the news and in all the headlines. Besides, look at who’s protesting this stuff. It’s the Ford F-150! Do you really think we care about what a bunch of rednecks and backwater idiots think…? Oh shit!
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At this point, Mr. Henderschmidt ended the interview by running away from his computer, storming down the hallway at Ford’s headquarters. I believe I heard him screaming, “Stop the campaign! Stop!” But I can’t be certain. Either way, I look forward to seeing how Ram and Chevy respond to this new campaign and what they’ll bring to the road. In the meantime, I’d show support by drinking a Bud Light, but my desire to be an ally has been overruled by my taste buds. Once they put a trans lady on a package of Oreos, then I’ll ally so hard they won’t even know what to do with me. So hard!
Editor’s Note: Trans rights are human rights.
