Since its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Bud Light has faced a sustained boycott that’s showing no signs of improvement.
Bud Light sales volumes for the week that ended June 10 dropped 30.3 from the same point last year, which is the biggest decline since the boycott began, according to Nielsen IQ tracking figures presented to Newsweek by Bump Williams Consulting. The brand’s sales revenue, meanwhile, was down 26.8 percent from the same week in 2022.
And while Bud Light was dethroned as America’s top beer for the month of May, a spokesperson for parent company Anheuser-Busch told Newsweek, "For the year, Bud Light remains the number one brand in the U.S. nationally in volume and dollar sales."
On Monday, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s global chief marketing officer Marcel Marcondes admitted the boycott has been a "wake-up call" for the company.
“It’s tough to see the controversial and divisive debates that have been happening in the U.S. in the last couple of weeks involving lots of brands and companies, including and especially Bud Light,” Marcondes said.
“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 first of all to be very humble,” Marcondes continued. “That’s what we’re doing, being very humble, and really reminding ourselves of what we should do best every day, which is to really understand our consumers. Which is to really celebrate and appreciate every consumer that loves our brands—but in a way that can make them be together, not apart.”
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Still, while Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth has told customers the company 'hears' them, no apology has been issued to date.
"To all our valued consumers, we hear you," he said. "Our summer advertising launches next week, and you can look forward to Bud Light reinforcing what you've always loved about our brand — that it's easy to drink and easy to enjoy.
"As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best — brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you."
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