Bud Light sales continue to plummet one month after their partnership with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, according to new figures from Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ.
The data revealed that sales for the brew had declined 23.6% in the week ended May 6 relative to the same period last year, a slight worsening of the 23.3% drop seen for the week ended April 29.
It’s not just Bud Light that’s suffering. Other Anheuser–Busch brands such as Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, and Natural Light have also seen massive sales declines in the weeks ended April 29 and May 6.
Bump Williams, the CEO of the consulting firm, called the situation “dire” and warned that Anheuser–Busch is “running out of time to fix the problem as the summer selling season unofficially started last weekend and Memorial Day is in two weeks.”
The company has met with distributors to discuss strategies for responding to the backlash, which may include a redesign of Bud Light and Budweiser aluminum bottles.
The controversy has caused an uproar on both sides of the political spectrum. Right–wingers have accused Anheuser–Busch of pandering to the left, while leftists have demanded that the company “stand in solidarity with Dylan and the trans community” or face another boycott.
Meanwhile, competitors such as Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller High Life are experiencing a windfall from the Bud Light backlash, with sales increases of 21.6% and 10.4%, respectively, in the week ended May 6.
The situation has been especially embarrassing for Anheuser–Busch executives, as Alissa Heinerscheid, the vice president of marketing at Bud Light who oversaw the Mulvaney campaign, has taken a leave of absence and Elizabeth Hitch, the senior marketing director for Miller Lite, appears to have been heavily involved in creating her company’s advertisement.
As the beer giant continues to deal with the fallout from its partnership with Mulvaney, customers remain “waiting for a genuine and sincere apology” and for “crystal clear communication on exactly what happened,” according to Williams. How Anheuser–Busch responds to the crisis in the coming weeks may determine the future of the iconic brand.
