Former Anheuser-Busch exec warns Bud Light sales ‘will get worse and worse’

A former Anheuser-Busch executive has warned that Bud Light sales will get “worse and worse” until the brand makes clear what it stands for after its disastrous partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

America’s flagship beer brand has had the damage under control since Mulvaney shared a series of partnered messages with her 11 million social media followers on April 1.

Bud Light sales fell for a fifth straight week as people continue to boycott it after the controversial partnership, and they fell nearly 24 percent in the week ending May 6.

Anson Frericks thinks the brewer’s sales will continue to fall until it comes out, highlighting which customers they will serve.

The disastrous marketing bid with Mulvaney has resulted in sales of the US flagship beer dropping by as much as 20 percent every week.

‘Consumers feel they have an impact. And every week these sales numbers are reported, and they get worse and worse every week,” Frericks told the Varney & Co show on Fox Business.

So I can see this continuing until Bud Light makes a comment about what they stand for and what customers they’re going to serve.

“With Bud Light, that was never part of the brand or the message. And I think that’s what upsets so many people here.

“And that’s why I think this boycott is going to last much longer than people think.”

For the week ending May 6, Bud Light retail sales in the US were down 23.6 percent compared to the previous year. And the week before, ending April 29, sales were down 23.3 percent.

This follows sales declines for the week ending April 22, which were 21.4 percent. And seven days earlier, the dip was 17 percent, according to NielsenIQ data provided to Dailymail.com by Bump Williams Consultancy.

Bud Light’s marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid and Daniel Blake, Anheuser-Busch vice president for mainstream brands, took a leave of absence following the controversial partnership with Mulvaney.

The company tried to explain that an “external advertising agency” was responsible for the collaboration and that it had no intention of selling the can.

It released a new nationwide ad that aired during the NFL draft on April 27 and will launch a collection of camouflage aluminum bottles to promote its “Folds of Honor” program, according to the New York Post.

The charity provides scholarships to the children of fallen and disabled military and first responders.

But Frericks sees the company’s efforts to push back sales as not working, saying: “One thing they haven’t done is say they made a mistake with this campaign and been clear about who they’re going to go forward with.” operate.

“Will it be their shareholders and their customers who just want them to create a Bud Light that is apolitical, or will they serve their stakeholders?

“These are the people who want BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard, asking them to serve political organizations, activists.

“I think until they are clear and they make it clear that they want to move their customers forward, unfortunately I don’t see this going away.”

Bump Williams of Bump Williams Consultancy told DailyMail.com, “I don’t think the sales/volume declines will get any worse, but I do think their negative volume trends will continue.”

He said a 20 percent drop in sales appears to be the new “normal” for Bud Light.

But he added that experts are waiting to see what will happen to sales during Memorial Day and the summer sales season to assess whether the damage will continue.

Williams, who specializes in the alcohol industry, told the St Louis Business Journal: “This seems to be where the brand’s weekly declines are starting to settle in, with a -20% drop in the past week.

“I wonder if this will be the ‘bottom’ for the expected decline in Bud Light going forward, unless something drastic changes.”

Bud Light is seemingly facing outrage and potential boycott from all sides of the political spectrum, though largely centered around conservatives.

The partnership with Mulvaney drew strong backlash from some quarters, with musician Kid Rock posting a video of him shooting on Bud Light cases, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt cutting ties with the brand.

But media personalities such as Joe Rogan and Howard Stern defended Bud Light’s decision.

Anheuser-Busch reported first-quarter earnings of $1.65 billion, which exceeded Wall Street expectations.

The brewer posted sales of $14.21 billion in that period, which also beat forecasts, with shares up 6 percent year-to-date and 12 percent in 12 months.

It’s unclear whether the boycott has had any impact on these numbers, and whether a greater impact on the company’s finances will be visible for the second quarter of the fiscal year if the controversy and boycotts continue.

The brewing giants now claim that the beer can and social media posts were not intended “for production or sale to the general public.”

CEO Michel Doukeris rejected the ad in an earnings call Thursday, insisting the ad was “not a campaign” and that an outside agency had approved it without Bud Light’s approval.

Todd Allen, most recently Budweiser’s global vice president, has been announced as the new vice president of marketing for Bud Light – after marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid and Blake took a leave of absence.

Adidas could be having its own ‘Bud Light moment’ as it faces calls to boycott the brand for using an organic male model to promote a women’s swimsuit in its ‘Pride 2023’ collection.

The sportswear giant sparked anger from fans who accused it of “mocking women” when it unveiled an ad for the $62 swimsuit that’s part of its campaign to “uphold inclusive values.”

But disenfranchised fans continued to crack down on the “awake” firm today, with some customers “burning” their Adidas Gazelle trainers in protest.