According to recent sales data, the Bud Light boycott showed no sign of slowing down over the 4th of July holiday. The backlash against the beer has ensued for over four months since it began in early April when Bud Light partnered with Dylan Mulvaney in a disastrous promotion.
Bump Willaims Consulting analyzed the latest batch of Bud Light sales data for the week ending July 8th, encompassing the 4th of July, which has heavy demand for beer. However, it is still clear consumers are avoiding the beer as its sales dropped 23.6 percent for the week compared to 2022. Furthermore, for the four weeks ending July 8th, the beer saw sales decline 27.1 percent.
The drop was not exclusive to Bud Light as other Anheuser-Busch brands continue to see dropping sales too. Budweiser saw a decline of 6.6 percent in sales for the week ending July 8th, with a 10.7 percent decline for the four weeks ending July 8th. Simultaneously, competitor brands are seeing increases in sales as Bud Light sheds market share from the boycott.
For the same period of the week ending July 8th, Coors Light saw sales shoot up 30.2 percent, while Miller Lite saw an increase of 25.3 percent. Modelo, who recently unseated Bud Light as the number-one-selling beer in America, saw its sales increase by 20.7 percent.
The American Tribune recently reported how Modelo Especial had remained the top-selling beer in the country for the second consecutive month in the face of Bud Light’s decline. Per Bump Williams Consulting, Bud Light had held the best-seller title for over two decades since 2001. All it took was a single promotion to ruin that.
Looking at the sales data encompassing the 4th of July, it is clear that consumers are continuing to avoid Bud Light. The beer still saw sales declining during one of the most important holidays for the beer industry throughout the entire year. If there were a time when Bud Light needed a revival of sales, it would’ve been the week ending July 8th. Dave Williams, vice president of Bump Williams Consulting, commented, “The Fourth of July is the biggest beer holiday in terms of retail sales and an opportunity to move a lot of volume.”
To make matters worse, if these current trends continue for much longer, Bud Light could be overtaken in sales on an annualized basis. Despite the month-over-month headlines that Modelo Especial is outselling Bud Light, the woke beer still remains number one in year-to-date market share since the Dylan Mulvaney-induced sales decline has only been priced in for a little over one quarter. However, Modelo is quickly closing that gap.
“If Bud Light continues its double-digit declines for the balance of 2023 and Modelo Especial continues to grow at 10% or greater for the balance of the calendar year, then it’s probable that Modelo Especial surpasses Bud Light as the No. 1 selling beer in America on a calendar basis,” said CEO of Bump Williams Consulting, Bump WIlliams.
It is clear that the desperate attempts for Bud Light to reposition itself among beer drinkers are not successful, as sales continue double-digit declines.
"*" indicates required fields