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Bud Light product executives for Anheuser-Busch thought it was a fabulous idea to have cosplaying “girl”, Dylan Mulvaney pitch the brand only to be mistakenly wrong.
Now, it seems that Anheuser-Busch is not only seeing Bud Light sales tank but also their portfolio of other products.
It’s not just a Bud Light issue, It’s an Anheuser-Busch portfolio problem now.”-Bump Williams, Consultant for Anheuser-Busch
Yikes.
Despite placing the Bud Light brand executive on ice, Anheuser-Bush now is claiming a third-party agency was the culprit in tapping Dylan Mulvaney to represent the LGBTQ+ customer. They won’t dare dime out the agency, however. At least not yet. No word on whether or not they have fired this agency, either. Sales have been steadily declining for weeks now. And, sales have plummeted for Anheuser-Busch’s other names in their family of beers.
The company’s flagship Budweiser brand took an 11.4% sales hit for the week ended April 29. Sales of Bud’s Michelob Ultra brand — the third-biggest-selling in the US behind No. 1 Bud Light and No. 2 Modelo Especial — were down 4.4%, according to Bump Williams data.”-Lisa Fickenscher, The New York Post
Seems as though the non-apology issued a few weeks back did not help. Like at all.
And weeks before Memorial Day weekend, and the kickoff of summer, beer-drinking season, Anheuser-Busch is in a panic. Where else have sales dropped? Look at the brands Anheuser-Busch’s smaller US brands dropped as well, with the Natural Light brand down 5.2% and its Busch Light seeing a 1.8% drop.
If Bud Light doesn’t fix this trend by the end of this month, it will continue to lose market share because it will lose Memorial Day. That kicks off the summer season. There has to be a sense of urgency for InBev to correct these trends.”-Bump Williams
There are also rumors that Bud Light sales have dipped considerably at bars and restaurants since Dylan Mulvaney’s ULTA, made-up mug, stunk up the campaign.
Oh, right, “One can of beer does not a whole campaign make”…or something.
We need to clarify the facts that this was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign.”-Anheuser-Busch chief executive, Michel Doukeris
One more can than I'll ever buy again.
— WheelmanForHire (@WheelmanForHire) May 5, 2023
Clarify away. Facts. You guys put a man in a dress in front of a camera drinking your brand. So, yes, one can of beer (and who drinks said can of beer in a bathtub for all to see) can impact a campaign, which is what the rocket-scientist-turned-marketing geniuses (to include Doukeris) at Anheuser-Busch discovered.
Let’s see if they can explain this sales trend:
Coors Light and Miller Light each saw a more than 20% sales increase in the week ended April 29 compared to a year ago, according to Bump Williams and Nielson data.
Keystone and Pabst Blue Ribbon also saw an increase. Yep, people would rather drink PBR over Bud Light these days!
But it seems as if individuals on both sides are dumping Anheuser-Busch. Take a look:
Sales tanking on both ends of the spectrum. All because of a man in a dress. All because both sides thought Anheuser-Busch’s non-apology was weak.
And that bit about Dylan Mulvaney “authentically connecting” with women? Please!
In case you missed it, here is a full list (courtesy of the Anheuser-Busch website) of beers: Budweiser, Bud Light, Kona Brewing, Stella Artois, Estrella Jalisco, Busch, Natural Light, Landshark, Presidente, Hoegaarden, Shock Top. There are craft beer partners on this list, too.
Truth be told, there are many great-tasting beers out there. There are plenty of choices. This is the beauty of America. Here’s a marketing lesson for Wharton and Harvard MBAs of what happens when the brightest of stars put their heads together to come up with stellar, inclusive, campaigns. The organization runs the risk of alienating their more conservative customers while never quite gaining the buy-in from their woke-est of woke customer base. Why? Because virtually nothing they can do will make these people happy and satisfied. No amount of groveling will ever suffice.
And as the pollen looms about and the flowers bloom…spring is here. Memorial Day is coming. Anheuser-Busch scrambles. Hold my beer. Don’t worry, I have dumped all the Red Hook down the toilet. TGIF?
Featured image via il0vethe80s on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license
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Mad Celt says: Bud has its Titanic Moment and is trying to patch the gaping hole in its side with tarps. If brains were dynamite they wouldn’t have enough to blow their nose.
THOMAS W ALLAN says: To me, that add was just plain stupid, even if say Kaley Couco had done it.;
Cameron says: You’d think Gillette would have been a warning to other companies.
NTSOG says: I think progressives like the Bud Lite A-executive Alissa Heinerscheid live/work in a little bubble of like-minded people and cannot comprehend how we deplorables exist without them. They are so certain that their own set of beliefs is correct that Gillette would be seen as an anomaly that could be discounted.
SLC says: It’s my understanding the person responsible for the Gillette disaster never admitted it was a mistake and was not fired, and neither was the executive above them. In their world, going against the narrative means ostracism from their social network. They, quite literally, would rather go broke. It’s a cult, and it’s going through our institutions like termites. Western civilization is in big trouble.
Gretz says: Gilette wasn’t appealing to men, it was appealing to women, who make >80% of household spending decisions, and portraying men negatively was business as usual, even for male products. Gillette’s backlash, was likely a wash at the end of the day, and likely a net positive with with all of the virtue conscious women making decisions on ofther P&G products.
Im sure AB-inbev figured it was a safe bet, due to that, and their brand executive showed she had the same dismissive contempt for her customer base.
Subotai Bahadur says: Just in passing, in our family I [male] do most of the shopping. And I saw the infamous Gillette ad. And ever since we do not knowingly buy Proctor and Gamble products. Sometimes I get beat, but immediately drop that product once I find out.
I admit that the beer is not a problem. I’ve had to stop consuming all alcohol because it conflicts with my heart meds, and in any case my son is a national award winning master brewer at a craft brewery. If I wanted beer, I could get a lot better for free
John Paulson says: I think what confuses me the most is if this is just one, then… where are all the others.
Where are the other influencers? From skits makers to gamers to makeup artists to jokesters to Instagram models. Where are the other cans that where made for other people? All people are seeing is just that ONE can and person. And with that one we seeing it was your first choice was to go with some farce of a person.
Ralph Gizzip says: My only surprise in all of this is really how little A-B’s business has been affected.
I’ll grant you 5% to 10% of sales is a LOT of beer but I would have expected a drop more in the 30% to 40% range considering most of A-B’s demographics and the fact that local microbrewers are doing so well.
Gretz says: I dont know anyone who regularly bought any AB beer prior to the incident, as theres so many better options to begin with. The net gain or loss would be zero. I already wasnt buying Nike, watching pro sports, etc., so their woke antics didn’t really affect me.
craig says: Ralph, I don’t think the real impact has been seen yet. The drop so far represents a change in product consumed. The coming figures will indicate changes in product reordered. Given that mass market beer is largely interchangeable, Bud sales may not ever recover. (Who drinks Schlitz anymore? It was once the #1.)
Ruprecht says: PBR is a good stuff, and I’m not a hipster.
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