According to recent reports, Bud Light has just lost its title as the number-one beer in America. The brewing company lost the long-held status to Modelo, which had been closing the gap on Bud Light ever since the disaster from the Dylan Mulvaney marketing collaboration started.
A U.S.-based distributor of Model recently said it has finally outsold Bud Light in recent weeks. Store sales of Modelo Especial reached $333 million in the four weeks ending May 28. This represents a 15.6 percent rise compared to the same period in the prior year. Bud Light’s sales during the same time frame were $297 million, a nearly 23 percent decline year-over-year.
The writing has been on the wall that Modelo would overtake Bud Light in sales for a while. Industry experts have predicted this ever since it became clear the boycott of Bud Light had serious momentum. CEO of Bump Williams Consulting, Bump Williams, has predicted this would happen for weeks. The consultant said
, “While Bud Light loses week after week, Modelo Especial gains week after week and now Modelo outsells Bud Light on a national basis across all trade channels combined.” He added, “If this continues, Modelo will surpass Bud Light for the year.”
The boycott of Bud Light and other Anheuser-Busch products has raged on for seven weeks, with sales declines progressively worsening each successive week. Furthermore, The American Tribune’s most recent reporting shows that Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch has shed roughly $27 billion in market value as its stock has tanked in light of the fallout.
Alissa Heinerscheid is the former vice president of marketing at Bud Light, who allowed the Dylan Mulvaney Disaster to unfold under her leadership. She took the job at Bud Light after graduating from the elite and prestigious Wharton School of Business, considered one of the best business schools in the world. Heinerscheid bragged about being a female executive at Bud Light, a typically male-dominated environment.
However, Heinerscheid took issue with Bud Light’s brand image, claiming it was too “fratty” and associated with “out of touch” humor. She further insinuated that Bud Light’s future was at stake if the brewing company did not save itself by becoming more inclusive. Ironically, such efforts have cost Bud Light the title of number one beer in the country, which the beer has held for decades.
Many have wondered why Bud Light would make such a disastrous marketing decision that completely contradicts the values and preferences of its consumer base. Furthermore, many thought Bud Light would become a corporate case study, where in the future, companies would steer clear of taking a side in the culture war.
However, this was proven to be false as other companies have doubled down on their woke initiatives in the face of Bud Light’s self-inflicted crisis. Perhaps the next best example of this phenomenon is Target
which has faced controversy for pride-themed clothing designed by a vocal Satanist and “tuck-friendly” female swimsuits. The company has faced similar consequences to Bud Light, including a boycott and losing billions in market value.
