Business

Bud Light’s sales reach new weekly low following Dylan Mulvaney fiasco

By
Social Links for Ariel Zilber
Published June 26, 2023, 2:22 p.m. ET

Sales of Bud Light suffered their steepest weekly drop yet since the beer brand launched its disastrous tie-up with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, according to the latest data.

In the week ending June 17, sales of the Anheuser-Busch brand fell by an eye-popping 28.5% versus a year ago, according to the most recent sales figures issued by Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ.

That eclipses last week’s 26.8% decline, which beat the previous week’s fall of 24.4%.

Bud Light’s sister brands under the Anheuser-Busch umbrella also experienced lagging sales in the seven-day period which ended June 17, according to the data.

Sales of Budweiser dropped 12.3% while another Anheuser-Busch brand, Michelob Ultra, fell by 4%.

In the week ending June 17, Bud Light sales fell by an eye-popping 28.5%, according to the most recent sales figures.
In the week ending June 17, Bud Light sales fell by an eye-popping 28.5%, according to the most recent sales figures. Christopher Sadowski

Busch Light, another brew produced by Anheuser-Busch, saw its sales dip by 8.1%.

Meanwhile, things are looking up for Modelo Especial, which is posing the biggest threat to Bud Light’s status as the nation’s most popular beer.

Sales of Modelo rose 8.6% in the week ending June 17, according to the figures.

Other key rivals also saw massive sales jumps during the same seven-day period, with Miller Lite up 16%, Coors Light up 21.8% and Yuengling Lager up 25.1%, according to the data.

The Post has sought comment from Anheuser-Busch.

Despite the bleak news, Bud Light remains the most popular brand in the country despite Modelo outselling its rival on a weekly basis since May.

Anheuser-Busch brands have suffered since Bud Light's marketing partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
Anheuser-Busch brands have suffered since Bud Light’s marketing partnership with Dylan Mulvaney. Dylan Mulvaney / Instagram

Anheuser-Busch has suffered from a backlash from beer drinkers since Mulvaney posted social media images touting Bud Light in early April.

Bud Light has tried to make amends by rolling out new advertising, but the effort appears to be too little, too late for some.

Earlier this month, Anheuser-Busch’s top marketing officer, Marcel Marcondes, accepted the award for “creative marketer of the year” at Cannes Lions, which is dubbed the “Oscars for the advertising industry.”

Modelo has outsold Bud Light in May, according to the most recent sales figures.
Modelo has outsold Bud Light in May, according to the most recent sales figures. Getty Images

Marcondes stopped short of offering an apology for the Mulvaney partnership — which the company has blamed on an unnamed third-party marketer.

“In times like this, when things get divisive and controversial so easily, I think it’s an important wake-up call to all of us marketers, for us to be very humble,” Marcondes said.