Bud Light is scrambling to recover lost sales from the boycott against the brand.
The embattled brand thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
But Bud Light’s dream of a comeback was ruined with this devastating news.
Bud Light is being decimated by the backlash against the brand for partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
A boycott broke out after the light beer brand sent a set of custom-made beer cans with Mulvaney’s image to celebrate his “365 days of girlhood” in April.
Bud Light pivoted towards football and music in its marketing in a bid to lure back boycotting consumers.
A massive new marketing campaign designed to appeal to Middle America centered around the NFL for football season was supposed to turn around Bud Light’s fading fortunes.
The backlash against the woke light beer brand is continuing without any sign of letting up after an announcement by Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bud Light’s parent company.
Anheuser-Busch InBev revealed that the company suffered a stunning 13.5% decline in U.S. sales for the third quarter.
The company said that sales to American retailers plummeted by almost 17% “primarily due to the volume decline of Bud Light.”
Beer drinkers still haven’t forgiven Bud Light after the company refused to apologize for its woke partnership with a transgender influencer.
Beer Business Daily reported that NIQ data found that Bud Light sales volume is down a whopping 30% for the four week period ending on October 7 compared to the same period a year ago.
Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris tried to put on a brave face with investors during an earnings call after the disastrous sales numbers.
“We have a good grip on what we need to do and how we are proceeding from here,” stated Doukeris.
He added that Bud Light customers want a “beer without a debate” and that they want the company to stick to beer.
Doukeris said, “We are taking the feedback.”
But that plan still doesn’t appear to include an apology to former Bud Light drinkers.
Anheuser-Busch announced that it was becoming the official beer sponsor of the mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to save the company’s tattered image.
The agreement is the largest sponsorship deal in UFC history with Anheuser-Busch rumored to be paying well north of $100 million to secure it.
Bud Light has tried to do everything under the sun with its marketing to undo the damage of going woke.
The brand is facing the painful reality that many of the customers burned by the Mulvaney partnership will never return.
