Bud Light sales continue to drop following the recent boycott against the brand, a plunge that's helping the rise of rival brands such as Yuengling Light Lager, Coors Light, and Miller Lite, according to the latest data seen by Newsweek.
Sales for Bud Light over a four-week period ending on July 15 were down 13.6 percent, while the brand's volume—the number of units of beer sold—fell 18 percent. This is according to NielsenIQ sales data obtained by Newsweek via industry consultancy firm Bump Williams Consulting. In the single week ending July 15, sales for the beer brand were down 26.1 percent and 29.7 percent in volume, a slightly larger drop than in the week before.
The data shows that Bud Light is still struggling to recover from finding itself in the center of a culture-war storm in April, when the brand sent trans influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney a personalized beer can to commemorate her 365 days of living as a woman.
The move was criticized by the beer's conservative customers, who accused the company of betraying the values of its core audience and called for consumers to boycott it. At the same time, LGBTQ+ rights activists condemned Bud Light's failure to stand by Mulvaney and defend her as she became the target of online hate.
As Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch suffered the impact of the controversy, other rival beers have seen an increase in sales. The NielsenIQ sales data shows that Miller Lite increased its sales by 16.9 percent in the week ending on July 15. Coors Light saw a 21.6 percent surge, while Yuengling Traditional Amber Lager had a 25.3 percent rise.
But it's Yuengling Light Lager that has apparently benefited the most from Bud Light's woes since April. Sales for the beverage have risen by 89.3 percent in the week ending on July 8 compared to a year before, and by 76.2 percent in the week ending on July 15 compared to the same period in 2022. In the last four weeks ending on July 15, sales for Yuengling Light Lager were up 73.5 percent compared to a year before.
But despite the drop in sales and volume, Bud Light remains the No. 1 selling beer in America on a year-to-date (YTD) basis, according to Bump Williams Consulting, with 8.5 percent dollar share of the beer category. Modelo Especial, another brand that is taking advantage of Bud Light's faltering, has an 8.1 percent share.
Newsweek has contacted Anheuser-Busch InBev and Yuengling for comment by email on Tuesday.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
