Bud Light has resorted to handing out free beer as the brand’s attempts to quell the backlash over the Dylan Mulvaney deal become increasingly desperate.
Bosses have also pledged to increase marketing spend and ramp up ad production after an industry expert said Bud’s “compass is completely broken” over its failure to deal with the fallout.
Bud Light sales are in freefall following the disastrous partnership with Mulvaney, 26, announced in March. The controversial trans influencer was sent a can with her face on it to celebrate her transition from male to female one year ago.
Anheuser-Busch, the beer’s parent company and America’s largest brewer, said it will be handing out a free case of beer to every employee of its wholesale network — which includes many family-owned businesses that have been hit hard by the scandal.
Figures from Bump Williams Consulting, which specializes in the alcohol industry, show that in-store sales fell 26 percent in the week ending April 22. The drop in the week before was 21 percent and the week before sales were down 11 percent.
Bump Williams, an alcohol industry analyst, said Bud Light’s “compass is completely broken” after it couldn’t deal with the backlash on its bond with Dylan Mulvaney
Bud Light sales have plummeted after customers abandoned the beer over the controversial trans influencer’s deal and lack of apology. Analysts say other brands owned by Anheuser-Busch, Bud’s parent company, could also suffer
Bump Williams, the company’s founder, said Bud Light needs to apologize, adding, “Right now their compass is completely broken. There’s no game plan.’
Williams said that without a clear plan to navigate the setback and reverse the decline in sales, “Bud Light is in serious trouble this year.” He said the brand is still the number one selling brand in America, but risks being overtaken by Modelo Especial by the end of the year if the backlash continues.
His assessment comes after another PR expert told DailyMail.com that Bud Light needs to get the issue right or “they’ll only hurt themselves further.”
Bud’s current responses were lame explanations of the Mulvaney partnership without a concrete apology to angry customers.
Outrage intensified when Bud Light executive, Alissa Heinerscheid, said the beer needed to update its “fratty” and “out of touch” branding.
Heinerscheid and her boss, Daniel Blake, Anheuser-Busch vice president of mainstream brands, have been placed on leave over the scandal.
Williams told the Postal Service St. LouisHer big miss was that I don’t think she understood who the main Bud Light shopper was. When she came out with her comments, they were considered derogatory, offensive and juvenile. And the Bud Light drinkers said: Enough about that.’
Analysts believe Anheuser-Busch’s other brands will also suffer from Mulvaney’s anger.
Mulvaney announced her partnership with Bud Light in March and the response was immediate
Anheuser-Busch is led by US CEO Brendan Whitworth, a former Navy lieutenant, CIA officer and Harvard Business School graduate who joined AB in 2014.
“I also think what’s happening right now is anyone who’s a Bud Light drinker and switches to Michelob Ultra because they don’t want to be seen holding a Bud Light, someone at the bar will say, ‘Hey buddy, that’s an Anheuser-Busch product that holds you,” Williams said.
Big Light’s biggest competitors, including Miller Lite and Coors Lite, have had positive sales gains during the scandal.
Anheuser-Busch is led by US CEO Brendan Whitworth, a former Navy lieutenant, CIA officer and Harvard Business School graduate, who joined AB in 2014 after serving as a senior executive at Frito-Lay.
Anheuser-Busch’s only comment on the matter was a single statement confirming that the Bud Light cans with Mulvaney’s face were a personal gift to the influencer and not for sale to the public.
“Anheuser-Busch is partnering with hundreds of influencers from our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences from a variety of demographics,” the statement said.
Country singers Travis Tritt (left) and John Rich (right) pledged to cut ties with Anheuser-Busch over the polarizing partnership with Mulvaney
“From time to time we produce unique commemorative tins for fans and for brand influencers, such as Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative tin was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public,” the company added.
In an appearance on Rosie O’Donnell’s Podcast this week, Mulvaney said, “The reason I think I’m so… I’m an easy target is because I’m so new to this.
“I think it’s much harder to go after a trans woman who’s been doing this for like 20 years. I think maybe they think there’s a chance with me… But what’s their goal?
“These people don’t understand me, and everything I do or say is somehow taken out of context and used against me, and it’s so sad because everything I’m trying to get out is positive.
“It tries to connect with others who may not understand me. It’s to make people laugh or to make a child feel seen.”