Bud Light sales have plummeted since partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney – two maps show how far the King of Beer has fallen since April.
The beer’s popularity has plummeted since brewer Anheuser-Busch teamed up with 26-year-old Mulvaney and gifted her a personalized can.
It was also superseded by Modelo Especial – another Anheuser-Busch brand – as the top drink, and has achieved a market value of more than $27 billion.
The biggest difference, however, is that beer was not voted the top choice in any US state over the 4th of July holiday weekend.
Modelo Especial took the lead, closely followed by Coors Light, but both Bud Light and Budweiser were nowhere to be seen in all 50 states.
Bud Light’s popularity has plummeted since brewer Anheuser-Busch teamed up with 26-year-old Mulvaney and gifted her a personalized can
The partnership resulted in Bud Light being dethroned as the top beverage brand by Modelo Especial – another Anheuser-Busch brand – and taking a market value of more than $27 billion.
A map produced by Top Agency in April showed that Budweiser was the most popular beer in 16 states, with Bud Light winning eight of those.
But a new image compiled by CookoutNews shows a different reflection of the bank holiday weekend – with Anheuser-Busch products taking a back seat.
Modelo Especial has a stranglehold on the lower half of the country, stretching from California to Florida — where Gov. Ron DeSantis previously blasted Bud Light.
The Mexican import beer held 12 states, with Coors Light and Miller Lite winning 11 each, and the last 16 being split evenly between Yuengling and Michelob Ultra.
Anheuser-Busch owns Modelo in out-of-state countries after it reached an antitrust settlement with the Justice Department in 2013 over fears it would stifle competition.
This means that Modelo’s US sales are controlled by competition from Constellation Brands and do not count towards AB InBev’s global volumes.
Modelo surpassed Bud Light’s $297 million mark — down 22.8 percent in sales compared to the same period last year. They reported an 11 percent increase in sales for the second quarter of this year.
It’s the first time since 2001 that Bud Light hasn’t been at the top, edging out its sister brand Budweiser for the title of “King of Beer” in 2001.
Mulvaney worked with Bud Light on the March Madness campaign in April and was gifted a can of the lager with her face on it – sparking outrage
Brendan Whitworth, US CEO, insisted his priority is people, adding that they’ve invested three times as much in Bud Light for the year
According to data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting, Bud Light sales fell 27.9 percent in the week ended June 24 — a slight improvement from the previous week’s 28.5 percent drop.
According to the consulting firm, Budweiser fell 12.1 percent compared to 12.3 percent the previous week.
But Bud Light also drew criticism when he tweeted a promotion for July 4th, saying, “Enjoy a beer” and “Never underestimate the power of a makeshift mister.”
In some US lagers, beer packs are also sold for less than water. One retailer claimed a 30-pack cost $8.99.
It’s also no longer in the top 20 in the US. A survey found that public opinion of the beer has dropped significantly.
The YouGov poll found that while the proportion of Americans who “liked” Bud Light hadn’t changed, the popularity of other competing beers skyrocketed, landing at number 15.
Sales at Modelo Especial stores rose to more than $333 million in the four weeks ended May 28 — a 15.6 percent increase from the same period last year
In a new YouGov poll of 1,468 people, public approval of beer plummeted so much that it dropped from the top ten to 15th place
The brand’s ousted marketing chief Alissa Heinerscheid, 39, said she plans to update the “fratty” and “out of touch” branding. Daniel Blake, 34, vice president of mainstream brands, has also taken a voluntary leave of absence following the controversy earlier in the year
They found that Guinness, Corona and Heineken were the top three most popular beers of 2023, with approval from 58 percent, 53 percent and 51 percent of Americans, respectively.
Persistent problems include Anheuser-Busch forcing two of its top executives on “furlough” after the big marketing blunder.
There have been claims that both executives were eventually fired over the fiasco – which the company denies.
Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing, 39, and Daniel Blake, vice president of mainstream brands, 34, have both taken voluntary leave of absence following the backlash.
However, sources told the Daily Caller that both were officially fired after it was announced they would be stepping down in April.
When asked about it by earlier this month, a friend of Heinerscheid’s said: “She shouldn’t talk about it, she can’t.”
In a statement to , a spokesman for Anheuser-Busch said both are still “on leave.”
Mulvaney announced the partnership in a series of videos posted to social media in early April
It’s unclear if Heinerscheid is on paid leave from the company, but she joined in 2022 and vowed to refresh the image
When approached her for claiming she had no idea about the campaign, Heinerscheid (left) declined to comment – but a friend said: “She can’t talk about it” before being taken away
Mulvaney recently broke her silence on the fiasco and slammed the struggling brand for not standing by her.
Speaking to her 1.8 million followers, she said, “I waited for the brand to contact me but they never did.” I was afraid to leave my house.
“It’s worse for a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly endorse them than not to hire a trans person at all.”
“I’ve been ridiculed in public, I’ve been stalked, and I’ve felt a loneliness I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
After making her criticism public, Anheuser-Busch countered in a statement, saying they are “committed to the programs and partnerships” they have forged with the LGBTQ+ community.
The company didn’t name Mulvaney directly, but her comments came immediately after she denounced her for not supporting her and the trans community.
The statement said: “The privacy and security of our employees and our partners is always our top priority.”
The market cap of Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, has plummeted $27 billion following a disastrous collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney
The brand has seen a drop in sales since working with the influencer, who described it as a brand deal
The transgender TikTok star has shrugged off criticism since forming a disastrous partnership with Bud Light to celebrate ‘365 Days of Girlhood’.
“As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and securing our place in the moments that matter to our consumers.”
Her statement came after CEO Brendan Whitworth was criticized for refusing to rule out the company’s partnering with Mulvaney again – and avoiding a response about how much the marketing blunder had cost Bud Light.
This is one of the few instances where the company has directly addressed the controversy created by its partnership with Mulvaney — as bosses initially claimed that “an outside agency took the step to work with Mulvaney without management’s knowledge or consent.”
Anheuser-Busch said earlier this month that it would triple its US marketing spend this summer to boost flagging sales.