Bud Light’s sales continue to decline as a result of the ongoing backlash over the brand’s decision to hire transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney as a spokesperson.
Data cited by Beer Business Daily, a trade publication for the beverage industry, reveals that sales volumes of Bud Light dropped by 28.4% for the week ending May 13. This decline follows the previous week’s decrease of 27.7%.
Amidst a deeply divided cultural and political landscape in the United States, consumers of light beer are hesitant to engage in another values-based debate, explained Harry Schuhmacher, editor and publisher of Beer Business Daily. Schuhmacher stated that most people are indifferent to the issue and prefer not to be dragged into discussions about it, resulting in decreased beer purchases.
The report on NBC News said:
At a time of profound cultural and political division in the U.S., light beer drinkers simply don’t want to be drawn into another debate about values, said Beer Business Daily editor and publisher Harry Schuhmacher.
“Most people don’t care about this issue and don’t want to get roped into a conversation,” Schuhmacher said. “Therefore they’re not going to buy the beer.”
Schuhmacher further noted that with a wide range of beer options available, consumers find it easy to switch to alternative brands.
Despite requests for comment, Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Bud Light, did not provide a response.
Mulvaney’s collaboration with Bud Light began in early April, coinciding with the NCAA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Championship weekend. She promoted Bud Light’s March Madness contest through a sponsored post on her Instagram account, which had approximately 1.2 million followers at the time.
Conservatives, many of whom had previously targeted Mulvaney due to her popular “Days of Girlhood” TikTok series, swiftly expressed their backlash against the partnership on social media.