HIGHLIGHTS: Bud Light’s sales in April were down 21% from last year . . . seemingly because of a promotion they did with a transgender social media influencer. And now the brand could lose its “top-selling beer” status.
FULL STORY: Bud Light is still leaving a bad taste in some people’s mouths . . . and not just because it’s a watery light beer. (BeerAdvocate.com has it as the 10th WORST beer in the world, with 30,347 beers ranked higher.)
According to the “Wall Street Journal”, Bud Light’s retail sales in April were down 21% from last year . . . seemingly because of a promotion they did with a transgender social media influencer on her feed.
(The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” says it’s more like 26%.)
There was some backlash . . . and boycotts from people who didn’t want Bud Light to be marketed to transgender people.
Anheuser-Busch’s marketing team was reportedly working with hundreds of “influencers” to try to attract a younger, more diverse crowd . . . and they were trying to get away from the, quote, “fratty . . . out of touch humor” of their previous ad campaigns.
But that did NOT go unnoticed . . . and high profile “celebrities” like Kid Rock made the issue go viral by getting out guns and shooting cases of Bud Light.
Anheuser-Busch has since fired the marketing team behind the social media campaigns . . . and has promised that their formal Bud Light ad campaigns will stick with the recent “Easy to Drink, Easy to Enjoy” theme.
People say no publicity is bad publicity . . . so in the long-term none of this may matter.
But for now, Bud Light IS feeling the impact. One analyst says that Bud Light is in “serious trouble” this year . . . and if things don’t turn around, it “runs the risk” of losing its distinction of the best-selling beer in America.
If that happens, the #2 top-seller, Modelo Especial out of Mexico City, would become America’s best-selling beer.
Not that Anheuser-Busch would care about that. In 2013, they bought Grupo Modelo . . . the parent company that makes Modelo Especial. They also make Corona and Pacifico. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch / Wall Street Journal)
(That’s what happens when companies get THIS big . . . they benefit no matter what you switch to, because they pretty much OWN THEM ALL. So do yourself a favor, and try a GOOD beer from a LOCAL brewery.)
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