Bud Light saw a significant drop in sales over the past year following its partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, which provoked outrage and calls for boycotts.
While Bud Light’s parent company AB InBev reported increased global revenue, US revenues declined by 9.1% and Bud Light sales were down 27.1% over the last four weeks.
Industry experts believe Bud Light has lost a generation of hardcore fans that will be difficult to recapture.
“We’ve lost a whole generation of hardcore Bud Light shoppers,” alcoholic beverage industry consultant Bump Williams said. “It’s going to take us at least 10 years to try and recapture what we lost in one year.”
Competitors like Coors Light saw increased sales during this period, gaining from Bud Light’s misstep.
The “Bud Light effect” demonstrates that embracing fringe social movements can alienate a brand’s core consumer base.
AB InBev executives erred in thinking social media trends reflected mainstream customers who purchase much of their beer.
If other brands learn from this lesson, they will think twice before aligning with ideologies not widely accepted among regular consumers.
