Former Anheuser-Busch division president Anson Frerichs responds to Bud Light’s Super Bowl commercial.
Modelo Especial, Michelob Ultra, and Bud Light are the top three beers in the U.S. these days. The Wall Street Journal.
Modello accounted for 9.7% of beer sales in U.S. stores in the four weeks ended July 6, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by consulting firm Bump Williams. Michelob Ultra and Bud Light fell to third place with 7.3% and 6.5%, respectively.
The beer’s sales have been out of the spotlight since Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Bud Light brand’s controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney sparked a boycott of the beer last year.
Bud Light sales Last year, Bud Light’s controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney sparked a boycott of the beer, and its shares began to fall in the United States in April 2023. The boycott included Bud Light creating custom beer cans to commemorate “365 Days of Girlhood” and sending them to Mulvaney.
Bud Light continues to weigh on parent company as Dylan Mulvaney’s blowback lingers
Bud Light faced strong backlash from longtime customers over a campaign it ran with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney last year. (Instagram/Fox News/Fox News)
The move and comments from Alyssa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing at the time, “Fraternity” and “Escape from reality” Criticism of the brand has led to calls from conservative influencers and celebrities to shun it, sparking a boycott movement.
Before the deal, Bud Light, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, was the best-selling beer in the US.
Bud Light sales fall nearly 30% year over year while rivals’ sales continue to grow
Budweiser beer in the brewery section of a HEB grocery store on March 2, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images/Getty Images)
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bud | Anheuser-Busch InBev | 61.67 | +1.47 | +2.44% |
| Steady | Constellation Brands, Inc. | 248.23 | +0.14 | +0.06% |
Bottles of Michelob’s new Ultra beer are displayed in New York City on October 18, 2002. Michelob Ultra is a lager with 96 calories, 4.1 percent alcohol by volume, and 2.9 grams of carbohydrates per 12 ounces. (Spencer Pratt/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Anheuser-Busch InBev has tried to rehabilitate Bud Light’s image since the boycott, with limited success. The company also makes a new No. 2 product, Michelob Ultra. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox Business.
Bud Light was the best-selling beer in the U.S. for many years, but was overtaken by Constellation Brands’ Modelo Especial last year.
FOX Business’ Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
