Bud Light received another bit of negative news, as the brand has fallen out of the nation’s top-ten most-approved beers by consumers, according to a recent poll. The survey results come as Bud Light continues to face a consumer boycott following its announced partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in April.
According to a recent YouGov poll, the beer brand fell to the 14th-most popular beer brand in the United States. Last year it was ranked in ninth place.
The negative polling news comes as the brand’s sales are currently down about 30% compared to last year.
The numbers have grown worse as the boycott continued, despite efforts by Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch to stop the bleeding. The company announced a number of rebates, including one that makes it less expensive than bottled water.
The beer brand’s issues appear to be worsening more than three months after the initial consumer backlash began. A number of other Anheuser-Busch brands have seen similar declines, including Budweiser and Michelob Ultra.
Conversely, several of Bud Light’s competitors have seen a significant increase in sales. Modelo Especial recently surpassed the Anheuser-Busch product to be the most-sold brand in the United States.
Other beer labels have seen a similar increase, with Coors Light and Miller Lite hiking their market share since the Mulvaney decision.
.@joerogan: "You take a brand like @budlight – known for blue-collar drinking people…
You have this mentally ill person [Mulvaney] who's an attention whore…'365 days of womanhood'…on a Bud Light can…
Once @KidRock shoots your cans, you got real problems." pic.twitter.com/LGKNDk1xcf
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 3, 2023
Bud Light has attempted several boots since April, including several commercials. However, even an advertisement including Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce has not appeared to move the needle.
The beer giant’s CEO Brendan Whitworth hedged when asked about the company’s decision to hire Mulvaney.
Whitworth told “CBS Mornings” that the discussion surrounding the partnership “has become divisive.”
He added that “Bud Light really doesn’t belong there.”
The CEO said that the ongoing boycott has affected the company’s employees, partners and consumers.
“There’s a big social conversation taking place right now, and big brands are right in the middle of it and it’s not just our industry or Bud Light,” he said.
Whitworth said that Anheuser-Busch would attempt to “deeply understand and appreciate” what consumers want and “care about and what they expect from big brands.”
