New figures show Bud Light sales have plummeted in all US regions in the wake of the disastrous partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
America’s flagship beer brand experienced a steep decline after using the controversial trans influencer, 26, to promote the drink.
Data from Beer Business Daily showed that the number one brand in the US has declined in all regions of the country.
Sales in the Rocky Mountains fell the most, down 29 percent, while sales in the South Atlantic, West-North-Central and East-South-Central regions each fell 25 percent.
Tumbleweed, a cowboy bar in Wyoming — in the Rocky Mountains region — ditched Bud Light after the controversy, opting for Guinness instead.
Sales in the East North Central region fell 23.5 percent for the week ended April 22, amid a backlash against the beer in Michigan and Illinois, among others.
This comes as HSBC’s analysts downgraded Anheuser-Busch’s stock because they are in the midst of a “crisis” over the marketing blunder.
America’s flagship beer brand experienced a steep decline after using the controversial trans influencer, 26, to promote the drink
Carlos Laboy, managing director of HSBC’s global beverage sector, downgraded Anheuser-Busch InBev’s stock to hold status. This means that investors should not buy or sell shares in the company.
He said the backlash was a sign that there are “deeper issues than ABI is admitting” and questioned whether they hire “the best people to grow the brands and assess risks.”
In a note viewed by CNBC, Laboy said, “If Budweiser and Bud Light are iconic American ideas that have a long history of bringing consumers together, why have these marketers failed to invite new consumers without angering the core of the company’s biggest brand?”
Several conservative stars were quick to take action against the brand, and Kid Rock blew up a case of beer after learning of the partnership — and shouted, “Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser-Busch.” Have a great one Day.’
The MAGA star hails from Michigan but has a bar in Nashville, Tennessee, which banned the product – and led to a 25 percent drop in sales in the region.
Customers at Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk and Rock n’ Roll Steakhouse in Nashville praised the country icon for allegedly removing Bud Light from the bar.
Some visitors said they were “impressed” that the star was “walking the talk” although there was no reaction when asked the bar for confirmation.
Country singer Travis Tritt, who hails from Georgia in the South Atlantic, announced that he will ban all Anheuser-Busch products from his tour bus as part of the partnership.
Sales in the Rocky Mountains fell the most, down 29 percent, while sales in the South Atlantic, West-North-Central and East-South-Central regions each fell 25 percent
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was also quick to switch from the brand, saying, “Why would anyone drink Bud Light?” Pictured: Ron DeSantis can be seen sipping a Budweiser in a 2021 photo
Mulvany released the content to coincide with the NCAA March Madness tournament before joking that she doesn’t know what sport she’s promoting
Locals in Marietta, Georgia, told they switched from their usual Bud Light drink to Coors Light, according to bartenders – who say the effects were “immediate”.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also quickly switched from the brand, saying, “Why would anyone drink BudLight?”
The 2024 contender was previously spotted drinking Budweiser, another brand under the Anheuser-Busch umbrella, but has since dropped the brand altogether and switched to drinking Guinness.
A restaurant chain in the Sunshine State has also removed Bud Light from its menu after the owner claimed that partnering with Mulvaney conflicted with his “biblical beliefs.”
Joe Penovich, the owner of Grills Restaurants, confirmed that the two-decade-old eatery is no longer serving the popular drink.
Gay bars in Chicago have also pledged to stop selling the beer, calling the comments by the Global CEO of Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Bush, “cruel and hateful.”
2Bears Tavern Group, which has four locations in the city, condemned Anheuser-Busch after the company “dropped” its support for Mulvaney.
They will also be hiring other Anheuser-Busch brands, including Busch Light and Goose Island 312.
West South Central, which includes Texas, saw sales fall 22 percent across the region.
Kid Rock shot a case of beer after discovering the partnership — and yelled, “Fuck Bud Light and fuck Anheuser-Busch.” Have a great day.
Locals in Marietta, Georgia, where Travis Tritt is from, have switched from their usual Bud Light to Coors Light, according to bartenders – who say the effect was “immediate”.
Texas-native country singer John Rich also ditched the brand, asking what beer to use as a replacement for Bud Light at his Nashville, Redneck Riviera bar.
Can sales fell 18 percent in the Pacific region and 19 percent in the mid-Atlantic region.
Sales in New England dollars were the least affected but still fell 14 percent. Footage showed a deserted Bud Light Bar at a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park – an indication that fans were participating in the boycott.
It’s unclear if celebrity criticism of the beer has had a major impact on sales, but bartenders in Georgie told the impact came immediately after the backlash from the country stars.
A worker at Rusty Barrel said, “The impact was immediate.” People complained about the campaign as a whole and what it represented.
“Earlier in the week we had an immediate impact, they saw the campaign and the comments from Kid Rock and Travis and they didn’t want to drink it anymore, period.”
Rich, pictured with a Kid Rock drinking Coors Light at the 2004 Country Music Awards, has also denounced the beer
He said that after the backlash with Mulvaney, he decided to eliminate the drink from his bar
Texas-native country singer John Rich also ditched the brand, asking what beer to use as a replacement for Bud Light at his Nashville, Redneck Riviera bar
“They changed the beer. Instead, they mostly ask for Coors Light, but it’s hard to say if they’ll stick with it.”
According to the report, sales of all Anheuser-Busch products have fallen in the month since the disastrous campaign.
Anheuser-Busch volumes fell more than 12 percent last month, with Bud Light down a staggering 21.4 percent.
Originally, Bud Light was the only brand under the brewing group’s umbrella to be affected by the controversy, but the new numbers show sales of several other products have also fallen.
Budweiser was hit by the knock-on effect and saw sales fall 11.5 percent.
Two other Anheuser-Busch brands also felt the backlash, with Busch down 5.3 percent and Natural down 6 percent.
The Belgian beer giant’s rivals both saw volumes rise – with Molson Coors, which makes Coors Light, up 7.6 per cent and Constellation, the company behind Corona, up 3.8 per cent.
A video showed Boston Red Sox fans avoiding Bud Light at all costs during a crowded major league baseball game amid backlash over the Dylan Mulvaney advert continues
Gay bars in Chicago have also pledged to stop selling the beer, calling the comments by the Global CEO of Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Bush, “cruel and hateful.”
Yuengling took the slowdown in Bud Light sales, rising 14.7 percent, while Miller Light was up 12.8 percent, Coors Light was up 10.9 percent and Coors Banquet was up 20.5 percent.
Last year, Bud Light’s sales exceeded $4.8 billion, Modelo Especial was $3.75 billion, and Michelob Ultra was $3.3 billion.
Bud Light and Budweiser are the only top 10 US beers to have seen sales decline year to date, down 3% and 0.4%, respectively.
In dollar terms, Anheuser-Busch is down 6.1 percent, while Molson Coors is up 13.8 percent and Constellation is up 8.7 percent.
Bud Light was down 17.2 percent, Busch was up 1.3 percent and Natural was down 0.2 percent, while Budweiser was also down 6.7 percent.
Competitor Coors Light was up 17.3 percent, Miller Lite was up 19.1 percent, Yuengling was up 20.1 percent, Coors Banquet was up 27.9 percent, and Miller Genuine Draft was up 7.3 percent.
Anheuser-Busch has furloughed two of its senior members of the marketing team behind the campaign. Pictured: Alissa Heinerscheid
Daniel Blake, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of mainstream brands, has resigned from his job following controversy over Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney
Anheuser-Busch’s stock has fallen about 4% since announcing its partnership with Mulvaney, taking the company’s market cap down about $5 billion.
The news of falling sales comes after Anheuser-Busch global CEO Michel Doukeris blamed “misinformation and disinformation” circulating online for making people believe cans with Mulvaney’s face are becoming a staple across the US offered for sale.
Last week, he addressed the mass backlash over his collaboration with 26-year-old trans influencer Mulvaney for the first time on a conference call with investors.
He added that the company is providing “direct financial support” to frontline workers affected by the boycott.
Doukeris told the Financial Times over the weekend: “People often talk like noise about this issue on social media.”
“There’s a fact, and every human being has an opinion behind that fact.” And then, with every single comment, opinions quickly begin to repeat themselves.
“Once 10 or 20 people leave a comment, the reality is no longer what the fact is, but more (roughly) what the comments were.”
Michel Doukeris addressed the massive backlash to working with 26-year-old trans influencer Mulvaney for the first time in a conference call with investors on Thursday
During a podcast appearance last month, days before the Mulvaney partnership was announced, Heinerscheid said Bud Light was on the back foot when she took the helm last summer but planned to get the ship back on track in the coming months bring to
The global CEO added, “We never intended to do it for general production and sale to the public…it was a contribution.’ It wasn’t an ad.”
Doukeris also told investors that Bud Light will triple its marketing spend this summer to bring customers back to the ailing brand.
Doukeris said, “We need to clarify the fact that this was a camp, an influencer, a post and not a campaign.”
“We will continue to learn, find the right moment, all be stronger and work tirelessly to do what we do best: bring people together over a beer and create a future of joy.”
Doukeris’ comments came as Gray Eagle — which distributes Anheuser-Busch products across St. Louis — sent out a letter to retailers, bars and restaurants.
It said: “Anheuser-Busch had no intention of creating controversy or making a political statement.”
“In reality, the Bud Light can that was posted by a social media influencer and started the whole conversation was provided by an outside agency without Anheuser-Busch management’s knowledge or approval.
Mulvaney herself hasn’t officially responded to the backlash, although she did post a video saying she hopes to be “less controversial” in another life
A letter previously claimed that the can Mulvaney was gifted was the brainchild of an outside agency
“Since then, the lack of oversight and control over marketing decisions has been addressed and a new Vice President of Bud Light Marketing has been appointed.”
Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing at Bud Light, took a leave of absence, while vice president of mainstream brand Daniel Blake resigned a few days later.
Her sudden departure seems premature given recent comments, which have also claimed there is no “management awareness” of the now infamous campaign.
The details of how the can fiasco broke out remain classified. The latest letter claims that the Mulvaney can was the brainchild of an outside agency.
The disastrous marketing proposition has caused sales of America’s flagship beer to fall, even as Anheuser-Busch reported a $1.65 billion profit for the first quarter.
The brewery posted sales of $14.21 billion during that period, beating forecasts as well. Shares are up 6 percent year-to-date and 12 percent in 12 months.
It’s unclear if the boycott had any impact on these numbers and if the controversy and boycotts continue will see a major impact on the company’s financials in the fiscal second quarter.