Bud Light Sales Plunge As Boycott Nightmare Continues

New sales data seen by Newsweek has shown that Bud Light is still feeling the impact of its boycott as it sees a percentage drop in revenue from sales for June, compared with the same time last year.

NielsenIQ sales data, obtained by Newsweek via industry consultancy firm Bump Williams Consulting, showed over a four-week period, ending July 1, Bud Light saw a 28 percent decrease in revenue sales as well as a decrease in volume.

The brand's volume—the number of units of beer sold—was down 31.2 percent compared with the same time last year as well.

This data highlights how the brand continues to see a financial impact from the ongoing boycott, predominantly spearheaded by conservatives, against the beer.

Bud Light
A sign disparaging Bud Light beer is seen along a country road on April 21, 2023, in Arco, Idaho. Bud Light has continued to see a reduction in sales following a boycott. Getty

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has been at the center of a boycott against the beer brand after showcasing a customized Bud Light can that was sent by the company earlier this year in April.

Mulvaney has also come out to condemn Bud Light for the way it has handled the boycott.

"I was waiting for the brand to reach out to me but they never did and for months now I've been scared to leave my house," Mulvaney said in a video posted to Instagram at the end of June.

"For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all."

The brand, owned by the Anheuser-Busch company, has recently seemingly struggled to win back its supporters after its latest ad. Newsweek has contacted Anheuser Busch via email for comment.

In an attempt to make light of the ongoing boycott, the Bud Light Twitter page shared an ad on Sunday that resulted in further ridicule.

The brief clip showed a woman calmly eating from a large watermelon while sitting at a picnic table while strong winds threw paper plates and Bud Light cans around.

Other people can also be seen running around to clear the mess. The clip accompanied the caption, "It's fine, this is fine."

Despite the light-hearted advertisement, some social media users continued to criticize and condemn the beer brand.

"Sorry, Anheuser-Busch but @budlight was forever damaged because your brilliant marketing dept., CEO and ultimately your BoD thought it was wiser to transition away from your customer base and toward an unwise fashion trend similar to tab collars, bell-bottom pants and rayon ties," Twitter user ChurlishPhil wrote.

"You just keep trying...the only thing going up is the ratio, as the sales continue to go down. Whoever is advising you, it's probably time for a change," user Bob Brandt added.

"You guys move to selling water melons now since no one is buying your beer anymore?" Twitter user The Last Don222 wrote.

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more

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