Bud Light slips to third-most-popular beer after boycott
- Bud Light is now third-most-popular beer behind Modelo and Michelob Ultra
- A boycott began following the brand’s partnership with a trans influencer
- The company has defended the partnership
FILE-Cans of Bud Light chill in a refrigerator in Oakland, Calif., Friday, April 28, 2023. AB InBev reports earnings on Tuesday, Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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(NewsNation) — Bud Light has slipped to the third-most-popular beer in the U.S. a year after a boycott began following Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The former favorite represented 7.0% of beer dollar sales in U.S. stores in year-to-date numbers ending July 6, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by the Bump Williams consulting firm. Modelo represented 9.3%, and Michelob Ultra represented 7.1%.
Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney began in April 2023 when the brand sent Mulvaney custom beer cans to mark “365 days of girlhood,” a milestone in a series on the influencer’s TikTok account.
Bud Light, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, was the top-selling beer in America before the partnership.
The beer’s marketing vice president at the time, Alissa Heinerscheid, said on a podcast in March 2023 that she wanted to update the “fratty” and “out-of-touch” brand.
The brand’s partnership with Mulvaney caused a backlash, instigating a boycott, but the company defended the partnership.
