Bud Light still struggling from the 2023 ad controversy: How much have sales dropped since the boycott?

Bud Light, once the top-selling beer in the United States, has been struggling to regain its footing since the controversy surrounding its ad featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

The backlash, which included violent threats against employees and a sharp decline in sales, has led to a significant drop in the brand’s revenue. According to recent reports, Bud Light’s US retail sales have plummeted by 27% on this time last year.

Why did some people turn on Bud Light?

The controversy started when Bud Light sponsored Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, on Instagram. The post quickly escalated into a public relations crisis as right-wing media and anti-trans commentators attacked the brand.

This backlash convinced a sizeable amount of consumers to turn their back on the beer, with Bud Light losing its position as the top-selling beer in the United States to Modelo Especial in May.

A media campaign to attempt to reverse the slide was brazen. The company launched a new marketing campaign, which included partnerships with country singers and NFL players. The campaign, which aimed to revive the brand’s image amongst those it thought it had lost, also included a new camouflage edition of the drink.

“We think a lot of consumers are never going back ... but some are coming back,” CFRA analyst Garrett Nelson told Yahoo Finance. “The longer-term impact, I think [we won’t know] until we see their second quarter results,” Nelson said.

Bud Light sales are actually up worldwide

Despite the American sturggles, the brand’s global sales were not impacted by the social media assault, with revenue growth in most of its global regions offset by a drop in North American sales.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, parent company of Bud Light, had an impressive Q1 for 2024. Its core profit rose by 13.6% compared to this time a year ago.