Sales of Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light have continued to decline over the Dylan Mulvaney controversy.
Bud Light sales were down 23.4% during the week that ended April 29, a continuing decline from the 21.4% drop the week prior, according to Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ data.
The impact appears to be influencing sales of other brands within the portfolio. Budweiser sales declined 11.4% for the same week. Michelob Ultra also saw a 4.4% drop, according to the Bump Williams data.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Michel Doukeris downplayed the controversy during the company’s earnings call last week, saying, “This was one can, one influencer, one post and not a campaign. He blamed the “social media landscape” and downplayed the brand’s connection to the influencer saying that “big brands with significant reach can be pulled into a discussion like this one.”
“Beer will always be at the table when important topics are debated,” he added. “The beer itself should not be the focus of the debate, to me, this is the key learning.”
