According to beer industry reports, sales of Bud Light beer have dropped by a whopping 17 percent in dollars and over 20 percent in volume since Mulvaney announced the Bud Light-Dylan Mulvaney partnership. As a mental image of that, it means that Bud Light is now only selling only four bottles for every five that it used to sell.
News on that comes from the New York Post, which reported that the Dylan Mulvaney marketing scheme was a disastrously bad one for the beer company because sales have continued to decrease as infuriated Americans have stopped buying the beer. In its words (emphasis ours):
The latest sales data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting shows that Bud Light sales fell 17% in dollars, while volume dropped a whopping 21% in the week ended April 15.
That’s sharply ahead of the 6% drop in sales dollars and 11% drop in volume that Bud Light had suffered during the week ended April 8 — the seven days that immediately followed the April 1 launch of the controversial Mulvaney campaign on social media.
It added, later in the article, that another trade publication found even worse results for Bud Light after the scandal, saying:
Overall, Bud Light’s volume declined by 34.7% at bars, restaurants and other venues between April 2 and April 15, according to BeerBoard. Bud Light dropped to the No. 4 draft beer from No. 3 during the second week of the controversy, switching places with Coors Light, Brewbound reported on Monday.
So the boycott of Bud Light didn’t just continue as the weeks of April wore on. Rather, it escalated as people dug in their heels and refused to buy the woke beer.
The New York Post adds that Insights Express, a beer-focused newsletter, added, “These numbers are staggering. Right now this is an extremely difficult scenario for Anheuser Busch, the Bud Light brand and for AB distributors.”
The New York Post went on to add that, as Bud Light flounders from its self-inflicted wound, its competitors are cashing in. Specifically, it notes that Coors Light and Miller Lite have grabbed significant market share in the wake of the Bud Light marketing disaster, saying:
Meanwhile, Bud Light’s competitors are cashing in on the mess. Bud Light lost 6.7% of market share last week, while Coors Light and Miller Lite are up 18%, according to the newsletter. A week earlier, Coors Light’s market share was up 10.6% over the same period and Miller Lite up 11.5%.
In any case, Bud Light’s flailing indicates that the “please buy our beer, we didn’t mean to be ‘controversial'” statement released by Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth didn’t work. That statement said:
As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.
We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.
We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.
We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.
My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.
I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others.
Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation.
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