Bud Light, the popular beer brand, continues to grapple with dwindling sales and revenue due to a boycott spurred by its association with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Recent data provided by Bump Williams Consulting and Nielsen IQ to Newsweek reveals that in the week ending May 20, sales volume for Bud Light declined by 29.5 percent compared to the same period last year.
Additionally, sales revenue experienced a significant drop of 25.7 percent in comparison to the corresponding week in 2022.
Critics argue that Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, has alienated its traditional customer base by engaging in this partnership.
Meanwhile, some members of the LGBTQ+ community have also voiced their disappointment, stating that the company failed to defend its ties with Mulvaney.
Brand strategists have further criticized the brewery for its response to the backlash, deeming it a series of reactionary moves that only prolonged the controversy.
While Michel Doukeris, the global CEO of Anheuser-Busch, previously downplayed the impact of declining Bud Light sales, citing a mere 1 percent reduction in the company’s global volume, the latest figures suggest that the backlash is indeed affecting the brand’s revenue in the United States.
In the four weeks leading up to May 20, Bud Light’s sales revenue witnessed a 24.3 percent decline compared to the same period last year. Budweiser, another co-branded product, also suffered, with a revenue drop of 10.5 percent during the same timeframe.
As reported earlier in Newsweek, during the four weeks ending April 29, which coincided with the onset of the controversy, Bud Light experienced an overall decline in sales revenue of 17.2 percent, accompanied by a 21.4 percent drop in sales volume.
Dave Williams, the Vice President for Analytics and Insights at Bump Williams Consulting, expressed concern about the potential long-term consequences of these numbers.
While it is important to note that Nielsen IQ data does not offer a direct comparison, it does reveal a broader downturn in the U.S. lager industry.
Over the 52-week period ending on April 23, beer sales revenue in the country experienced a 9 percent decline compared to the previous year-long period, indicating an overall contraction in the market.
Interestingly, Anheuser-Busch’s competitors have demonstrated resilience in the face of the industry downturn.
Miller Lite, despite facing its own boycott calls over a perceived “woke” advertising campaign during Women’s History Month, recorded an impressive 20.7 percent increase in sales during the four weeks leading up to May 20, compared to the same period last year.
Similarly, Coors Light experienced a 22 percent sales boost year-on-year during the same timeframe, following a 15.4 percent rise in sales volume.
These figures underscore the trend of Bud Light’s competitors capitalizing on the demand from boycotters.
Furthermore, Anheuser-Busch’s other beer labels have also suffered from the backlash.
Michelob Ultra, for instance, witnessed a 2.8 percent decline in sales volume during the four weeks ending April 29, which further decreased to 7.3 percent during the four weeks leading up to May 20.
Similarly, Busch Light saw a 2.6 percent contraction in sales volume in April, followed by a significant 10.1 percent decline in May.
Additionally, sales volumes for Natural Light dropped by 6.4 percent in April and further decreased by 9.1 percent in May, compared to the corresponding period a year ago.
