Bud Light sales continue to decline compared to June 2022 as the boycott against the beer brand extends into its third month, new sales data shows.
Bud Light sales dropped 24.4% in the week ending June 3, and plunged 24.6% in the four weeks ending June 3, according to Nielsen IQ sales data provided to the Daily Caller by Bump Williams Consulting. The data is collected on a dollar basis for all U.S. brands and shows the change in sales compared to a year ago in 2022.
For those keeping score at home, I published a list of the biggest brands conservatives are boycotting right now @DailyCaller
Expect the list to keep growing with all of the LGBT activism happening in June: https://t.co/95EsH97w9U
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) May 31, 2023
Sales of Bud Light are down 9.5% year-to-date, while sales of rival brand Modelo Especial are up 8.5% year-to-date. Modelo sales went up by 12.2% in the week ending June 3 and increased by 10.2% in the four weeks ending June 3. Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch owns Modelo’s international operation, while Constellation Brands owns Modelo’s U.S. operation because of a 2013 antitrust settlement with the Justice Department. (RELATED: Some Beer Distributors Believe Bud Light Boycott Could Be Permanent, Surveys Say)
The Bud Light boycott continues to impact other Anheuser-Busch brands, the sales data shows. Budweiser sales went down 7.8% in the week ending June 3 and dropped 9.2% in the four weeks ending June 3. At the same time, sales of rival brands Coors Light and Miller Lite jumped by 24.4% and 21%, respectively, in the four weeks ending June 3, with similar numbers for the week ending June 3.
The Bud Light boycott began in April, when transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted videos on social media promoting the brand in a new partnership. Bud Light sent Mulvaney cans to celebrate the influencer’s “365 days of girlhood” with fans, causing conservatives to accuse Bud Light of snubbing its customer base by promoting transgender ideology. A biological male, Mulvaney previously advocated for transgender procedures in an October 2022 interview with President Joe Biden.
The boycott was intensified by unearthed video footage showing Bud Light marketing executive Alissa Heinerscheid trashing the brand for being “fratty” and “out of touch” with consumers. She and another marketing executive later took leaves of absence amid the Mulvaney fallout. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Social Media Pics From Bud Light Ad Exec Who Slammed ‘Fratty’ Culture Seem Pretty Fratty)
Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris downplayed the Mulvaney advertisements in a May earnings call. “We need to clarify the facts that this was one camp, one influencer, one post and not a campaign,” he said. “We will continue to learn, meet the moment in time, all be stronger and we work tirelessly to do what we do best: Bring people together over a beer and creating a future of more cheers.”