Go Woke, Go Broke: Bud Light Sales Continue To Tank, Brand Drops Another 27% In Worst Week Since Dylan Mulvaney Partnership

(Daily Mail) Bud Light has suffered its worst weekly sales drop following its disastrous partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

It comes after Bud Light lost its crown as America’s bestselling beer to Modelo, a Mexican lager brewed by Grupo Modelo – which is also owned by Bud manufacturer Anheuser-Busch.

Anheuser-Busch’s other US brands – including Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and Natural Light – have also seen a significant decline in sales since the controversy. Bud is down 10 percent, while Natty Light and Michelob are down 2.3 and 2.4 percent, respectively.

This was a tough week for Bud Light and other beer brands,’ Bump Williams, owner of the consulting company, said.

Since the Anheuser-Busch scandal, the nation’s formerly second-largest beer – Modelo – has quickly risen through the ranks, rising up 5.7 percent in sales the week ending on June 10.

Anheuser-Busch’s chief marketing officer said while accepting an award at an advertising awards ceremony on Monday that the Bud Light partnership with Dylan Mulvaney was a humbling reminder it needs to understand its consumers better.

Marcel Marcondes ironically made the comments while accepting an award for ‘Creative Marketer of the Year’ at Cannes Lions – a lavish industry conference in the south of France dubbed the ‘Oscars for the adverting industry.’

It comes months after the company lost $27billion in value due to a campaign.

Though AB was named the winner of the award before the fiasco erupted, it was not officially awarded until Monday, meaning there was a mighty elephant in the room. Some even said the company should turn down the award, the Wall Street Journal reported.

‘In times like this, when things get divisive and controversial so easily, I think it’s an important wake-up call to all of us marketers first of all to be very humble,’ he said.

‘That’s what we’re doing, being very humble, and really reminding ourselves of what we should do best every day, which is to really understand our consumers.

‘Which is to really celebrate and appreciate every consumer that loves our brands – but in a way that can make them be together, not apart.’

The session was described in programming notes as a talk in part about AB InBev’s ‘relentless focus on connecting with consumers in meaningful ways,’ The Wall Street Journal reported.

Marcondes has worked at AB InBev for nearly two decades, according to his LinkedIn profile, and now oversees its global marketing strategies of AB brands including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, Stella Artois and others.

‘It’s tough to see the controversial and divisive debates that have been happening in the US in the last couple of weeks involving lots of brands and companies, including and especially Bud Light,’ Marcondes said during the Monday presentation.

‘It’s tough exactly because what we do is all about bringing people together.’

‘That’s what Bud Light stands for – it exists to make beer easy to drink and easy to enjoy,’ he said.

‘That’s what we all, as a team, will be doing moving forward as a group. That’s what leaders do. Bud Light is coming back. It’s going all around the country, reconnecting with consumers, moving forward. That’s what you can expect from Bud Light in the US.’

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