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Aisle after aisle in supermarkets across the nation appears to confirm that Bud Light is far from being the flavor of the week.
On what is considered by many Americans to be the unofficial start to summer, instead of shelves looking depleted from a Memorial Day weekend of partying and drinking, rows of store shelves sat packed with Bud Light and Budweiser in posts shared on social media.
Following the backlash over the use of transgender influence Dylan Mulvaney by parent company Anheuser-Busch to promote Bud Lights, the company has seen its market value tank.
The hit has been anecdotal and in actual sales, which have fallen 26 percent since the backlash started in early April.
The controversy left social media users documenting the company’s carnage in real-time and the dramatic effect it is having on their sales.
Bud Light beer is experiencing a significant decline in sales across the nation, as supermarket shelves remain fully stocked on Memorial Day Weekend
Social media users have been sharing images of shelves packed full of Bud Light in supermarkets, highlighting the negative impact on sales
Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney has led to a decline in sales for the last two months
Users across the country posted supermarket shelves stocked with Bud Light in their local stores, which appear to have been left completely untouched, as once loyal drinkers turn away from the brand.
Bud Light sales fell for the sixth consecutive week with retailers slashing prices — with one store charging $3.49 for a 24-pack and another offering a rebate that would see the beer being sold for free.
‘This could be a promotional summer the likes we haven’t seen since after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, where there was so much beer inventory backed up in the trade that it initiated the price war of all price wars,’ Beer Business Daily stated in a recent report.
Bud Light volumes for the week ending May 13 fell 28.4 percent, following a 27.7 percent drop the prior week.
During a promotion for the company’s March Madness competition and while celebrating the one-year anniversary since Mulvaney began identifying as a woman, Bud Light gave the TikTok star and transgender activist a personalized pack of beer with her image printed upon it.
Bud Light sales have fallen significantly since the beer’s partnership with Dyland Mulvaney and analysts at JPMorgan expect it will cause Anheuser-Busch earnings to slide 26% this year
Anheuser-Busch has seen its market value plunge $15.7billion since the disastrous campaign with Mulvaney
Fridge after fridge appeared to be full stocked despite the beer being massively discounted
Half a dozen fridges in this social media post show Bud Light refrigerators fully stocked
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In Florida, the blue and red boxes of Bud Light crammed the shelves
Texans appeared to be shunning Budweiser and Bud Light in droves
But promotion backfired hugely and has instead generated a national boycott of the beer.
Anheuser-Busch has lost nearly $19 billion with shares down 14 percent and in some cases has been giving its beer away for free.
Experts are even warning that there is a risk of competitor beers running into a shortage because of the high demand.
Beer Business Daily editor Harry Schuhmacher told Fox News Digital that the ‘whole industry is in shock’.
He claiemd the newfound demand for lagers not owned by Anheuser-Bush could result in a trickle-down effect on the industry.
He said: ‘Even Bud’s competitors aren’t really dancing on the grave because they know it could have happened to them.
‘You can’t just flip a switch and make beer. You know, beer is brewed. It takes, you know, at least a couple of weeks to make.’
Bud Light is offering an online rebate that is seeing cases go from free at some retailers
In Wisconsin, even $3.99 for a pack and 99 cents for a can wasn’t enough to entice drinkers
Bud Light partnered with Mulvaney on April 1 for a promotion that coincided with NCAA March Madness. Mulvaney, who has documented her transition on social media, shared a video of a Bud Light can with her face on it.
The backlash was almost immediate, with singer Kid Rock leading the charge by posting a video of him shooting Bud Light cans.
That led to other people to boycott the brand, and it has caused massive damage to sales and reputation.
The Mulvaney deal came after the brand’s ousted marketing chief Alissa Heinerscheid said she planned to update the ‘fratty’ and ‘out of touch’ branding. Heinerscheid has been removed from her role, along with other executives, because of the fiasco.
Now, CEO Michael Doukeris and the company are trying to salvage the brand, which has seen its market value plunge by roughly $16billion. They have offered rebates to consumers and bought back expired cases from distributors. Bud Light has also turned to its more traditional adverting themes to try and save its image.
Industry analysts have warned that unless something drastic changes, the negative volume trends will continue into the summer.
