BUSINESS
Where is Bud Light in US beer sales rankings? New report reveals all
A couple of years ago, the Anheuser-Busch brand sat atop the US beer sales, but then came the Dylan Mulvaney advert.
Bud Light, once the reigning champ of American beer sales, continues to feel the pain, now slipping to the No. 3 spot in the latest sales rankings. This latest fall marks a further shift in the beer landscape, underscored by previous strategic missteps.
Who has overtaken Bud Light in beer sales?
According to the industry trade publication Beer Marketer Insights, the period between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July saw Michelob Ultra oust Bud Light from its No. 2 position. Yes, you read that right – Bud Light is now trailing behind another member of the Anheuser-Busch family, with Michelob rising like a well-chilled phoenix from the brewery’s taps.
Continuing as the new king of beers, is Modelo Especial, brewed by Constellation Brands. Modelo has been living the high life as the best-selling beer at U.S. retailers since surpassing Bud Light last year.
So, what’s causing Bud Light’s slide down the ranks? The saga began in April 2023 with a social media firestorm.
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.