In-store Bud Light sales fell 26 percent in the last week of April after consumer opposition in the wake of the company’s decision to partner with transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney.
Figures from Bump Williams Consulting, a firm that specializes in the alcoholic beverages market, found that Bud Light sales eased gradually over the course of April. In the second week of the month, they were down 11 percent and down 21 percent the following week.
Reports indicate that overall sales are now down 8 percent over the year, threatening parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev’s position as a market leader.
Bump Williams, president of the market research firm, told St. Louis Post-Dispatch on monday.
In early April, Bud Light sent Mulvaney decorated cans of beer featuring the influencer’s face as part of a promotion with March Madness. Bud Light’s recent marketing director, Alyssa Heinsreid, was the brains behind the scheme and sought to reinvigorate the brand with a “change of tone”.
“It means having a campaign that is really inclusive and feels brighter and brighter and different and appeals to women and men. And the representation is kind of at the heart of the evolution.”
The company defended the partnership as part of a broader drive to attract new customers.
Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of several ways to authentically connect with audiences across diverse demographics. From time to time, we produce unique keepsake tins for fans and brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney,” a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch told CNN. after sending on monday.
The big Miss Heinrich’s was that I don’t think she understood who the primary Bud Lite shopper was. When she came out with her comments, she was taken as insulting, insulting, and juvenile. “Enough of that,” said Williams who drink Bud Lite after sending.
The sponsorship deal also left many frustrated with the company’s adoption of identity politics.
Musician Kid Rock filmed a video of him unleashing a bunch of Bud Light cans. “Let me say something to all of you and be as clear and brief as possible,” the singer says before loading the firearm and emptying the entire magazine into three boxes of Bud Light.
According to the chief marketing officer, sales to Bud Light’s competitors — namely Miller Lite and Coors Light — increased amid the controversy.
“Now their compass is completely broken. There’s no game plan,” Williams concluded.