Bud Light has seen a significant drop in sales following a controversial marketing campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The latest industry statistics from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting reveal that for the week ending April 15, Bud Light sales fell 17% in dollar terms, and volume sales plunged even more by a 21%
The drop in Bud Light sales is a stark contrast to the week before the campaign, where sales had already fallen 6%, with sales volume down 11%. In contrast, Coors Light and Miller Lite saw sales increase, with Coors Light up 10.6% and Miller Lite up 11.5% for the week ending April 8.
The controversial campaign has sparked debate and criticism, with many expressing concern over the use of a transgender influencer and the potential impact on sales. Bud Light has yet to comment on the decline in sales, and it remains to be seen how the company will respond to the situation.
“These numbers are staggering,” Insights Express stated.
“Right now, this is an extremely difficult scenario for Anheuser Busch, the Bud Light brand, and for AB distributors. Coors Light and Miller Lite were once again big beneficiaries,” the report added.
Industry experts believe the hit to Bud Light’s bottom line is bad.
“It will be interesting to monitor over the next few weeks to see if this slide continues, but for now it looks like it will be rough, but not catastrophic,” consultant Dave Williams said.
“I have no doubt that certain regions of the US, and even more certain states/markets experienced steeper declines than others, and the deeper we dig, the more volatility we see.”
“On the surface, Bud Light’s trends definitely show some variation when it comes to sales, with some showing steeper declines in the L1W compared to others,” Williams added.
The industry expert proceeded to break down the market segments and regional trends.
“In addition to dollar trends, however, it has been Bud Light’s share of the premium segment for L1W that tells a fairly consistent story where Bud Light lost share to a more noticeable degree to its competitors,” he continued.
“The Southeast Central Division, in particular, was very successful, as was the Northwest Central,” Williams wrote. “The Pacific division saw the smallest hit, although that was a change from YTD and P1W.”
A second Anheuser-Busch executive has been placed on leave in addition to Alissa Heinerscheid, the marketing mind behind the Mulvaney partnership.
A second Anheuser-Busch official has taken a leave of absence following the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney debacle.
The beer company continues to feel immense pressure and heat from consumers.
Wake up break!https://t.co/CxwbVBAh45
— OutKick (@Outkick) April 25, 2023
Daniel Blake, the man responsible for marketing Anheuser-Busch’s core brands, has also taken a leave of absence, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support. Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence,” Anheuser-Busch told the WSJ.
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