|
Listen to this article here
|
The prolonged sales dip for Bud Light comes weeks after a promotion fiasco with TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, a trans rights activist and actress, that sparked an uproar among conservatives, including singers Kid Rock and Travis Tritt, who called for a boycott of the popular beer.
Subsequent boycotts of Bud Light have also been initiated by members of the LGBTQ+ community, who feel let down by the brand’s rigorous attempts to distance itself from Mulvaney and the original promotion.
The Ardagh Group, a global glass producer that contracts with the Anheuser-Busch company, announced it will be closing its plants in North Carolina and Louisiana in July, putting roughly 645 employees out of a job, WRAL reported.
The bottling company did not reveal the reason for the move, but an investigation by WRALreportedly found that the plants are shuttering because of tanking Bud Light sales, as retailers, distributors, bars and contracted companies feel the wrath of nationwide boycotts over the controversial Bud Light partnership that celebrated Mulvaney’s “365 Days of Girlhood.”
The often violent backlash from both groups led to Bud Light falling off its perch as America’s best-selling beer in May. The brand sold $297 million worth of brew for the four weeks ending May 28 — a 23% drop from the same time period the year before.
The sales slump has grown so deep in recent weeks that some retailers are selling cases of Bud Light for less than cases of bottled water, the New York Times reported.
Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of ABI, told CBS Mornings last month that the company is sending financial assistance to distributors and wholesalers affected by the dip in sales since Mulvaney’s social media video went viral.
Whitworth added that ABI plans to triple its investment in Bud Light this year as the company launches its upcoming summer campaign and prepares for the NFL season.
According to Fox Business, Modelo Especial passed Bud Light as the No. 1-selling beer brand on a dollar basis for the four-week and single-week period ending June 3.
Mulvaney recently ripped the controversy against Bud Light, claiming it prompted more bullying and “more transphobia than I could’ve ever imagined.”
The trans influencer also blasted the company for not being supportive as Mulvaney dealt with “transphobia.”