The boycott of Anheuser-Busch’s association with transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney has had a significant impact on Bud Light sales, with a decrease of 23.9 percent for the week ending May 27 compared to the previous year. This follows a 25.7 percent dip observed the previous week. Bud Light lost approximately 28% year-over-year volume during this period.
While Bud Light’s sales decline may suggest a potential bottoming out and a turnaround in performance, Budweiser, another trademark beer from Anheuser-Busch, experienced an 8.5 percent drop in sales. Additionally, other brands under the company, such as Natural Light and Stella Artois, saw decreases ranging from 1.5 to 3 percent.
Conversely, competitors of Anheuser-Busch saw increases in sales as consumers shifted to other brands. Miller Lite saw a rise of 23.1 percent, Coors Light increased by 26.3 percent, Modelo Especial improved by 9.5 percent, and Yuengling experienced a significant increase of 36.3 percent.
The controversy surrounding Dylan Mulvaney, who was featured on a Bud Light beer can to commemorate her 365th day of girlhood, has been a focal point of the boycott. Mulvaney’s association with the brand led to criticism and boycotts from conservative figures like Kid Rock, who accused Bud Light of alienating their regular customer base.
In response to the backlash, North America CEO Brendan Whitworth emphasized the company’s commitment to bringing people together over beer and pledged to continue building and conserving their heritage. Despite this, analysts predict a 26% loss in AB InBev’s US earnings before interest and tax this year, attributing it to a 12% volume drop and a 10% sales drop.
To address the declining sales, Bud Light’s parent company announced plans to triple its US marketing spending this summer in an effort to boost sales and mitigate the impact of the boycott.
