After Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, their sales decreased by 17% in dollars and 21% in volume for the week ending on April 15, according to sales data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting.. Beer drinking at bar .“These numbers are staggering,” according to Insights Express, a liquor business newsletter..“Right now, this is an extremely difficult scenario for Anheuser-Busch, the Bud Light brand and for Anheuser-Busch distributors.”.Mulvaney, who identifies as a woman despite being male, shared a video on his Instagram account on April 1 to promote the Bud Light partnership. Mulvaney has around 1.8 million Instagram followers..“This month, I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it,” said Mulvaney..“Happy March Madness!! Just found out this had to do with sports and not just saying it’s a crazy month! In celebration of this sports thing @budlight is giving you the chance to win $15,000! Share a video with #EasyCarryContest for a chance to win!! Good luck! #budlightpartner,” Mulvaney wrote in the Instagram caption of the video..The partnership between Mulvaney and Bud Light received criticism from conservatives and many people on social media asked others to stop buying Bud Light..Musician Kid Rock responded by making a video on Instagram where he shoots several boxes of Bud Light..“F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch,” said Rock in the video..Travis Tritt, a country singer, said he would remove all products from Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, during his upcoming tour..Anheuser-Busch announced that the marketing executives involved in the partnership with Mulvaney, Alissa Heinerscheid and her supervisor Daniel Blake, would be taking leaves of absence from the company. Their departures were announced over the past few days..“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support,” said an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson..“Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence.”.According to reports, both Heinerscheid and Blake are taking involuntary leaves of absence..Other beer brands are taking advantage of Bud Light's sales decline and filling the demand in the market..During the previous week, Bud Light lost 6.7% of its market share, while Coors Light and Miller Lite saw an increase of 18%, according to Insights Express..“Coors Light and Miller Lite were once again big beneficiaries,” said Insights Express newsletter..On Tuesday, Anheuser-Busch will meet in Washington, DC, with distributors, who want to see a “much more pointed and well-developed plan on how Anheuser-Busch might stem the onslaught of negative attention and sales trends,” said Insights Express..Some distributors have already cancelled their marketing events for Bud Light..Although it is the highest-selling beer in the United States, Bud Light has been facing declining sales for several years, particularly as younger drinkers prefer craft beer and other options..Anheuser-Busch said in its initial statement following the call for a boycott that it “works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.”.“From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
