Hey there, it’s Markus Noah with the latest news story coming out of Anheuser-Busch. The beer company has recently seen a significant decrease in sales of its popular Bud Light beer, and it’s reportedly due to an ill-advised marketing partnership with influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who identifies as transgender.
According to Bump Williams Consulting, a company that specializes in the alcohol industry, in-store sales of Bud Light have plummeted 26% in the week ending April 22, following drops of 21% and 11% in the two weeks prior. This has been a devastating blow for Anheuser-Busch, as Bud Light was previously the nation’s top-selling beer brand.
To make matters worse, the backlash from the failed marketing campaign has led to a boycott of Bud Light, which has not only affected the company’s profits but also the many family-run businesses that make up its wholesale network. In an effort to boost morale and get rid of excess product, Anheuser-Busch is reportedly offering a free case of beer to each employee within its wholesaler network.
It’s a desperate move to undo the damage caused by the Mulvaney fiasco, which included a custom can featuring the influencer’s image. The marketing campaign clearly missed the mark, as it has been deemed insensitive and tone-deaf to many consumers.
The person responsible for the debacle, Alissa Heinerscheid, the vice president of marketing at Bud Light, has faced intense criticism for her approach. The company’s decision to offer free beer to its employees seems to be the only viable plan to get rid of the unwanted product that customers are currently rejecting.
“Right now their compass is completely broken,” Bump Williams, the founder of the firm, said of Anheuser-Busch. “There’s no game plan.” He added that without a plan to reverse the public relations disaster, “Bud Light is in serious trouble this year.”
“Her big miss was I don’t think she understood who the core Bud Light shopper was,” Williams added. “When she came out with her comments, they were deemed as being derogatory, insulting and juvenile. And the Bud Light drinkers said, enough of that.”
It’s pretty bad when a company can’t even give their product away.
Not only did Bud Light sink their product they are bringing down family-run small businesses that made up their wholesale network.
