2 Bud Light Executives on Leave After Promotion With Dylan Mulvaney

A little more than 20 years ago, beer accounted for about half of alcohol sales in the country. Last year, that market share was about 42 percent, as sales of gin, vodka and other spirits have grown sharply in recent years.

Anheuser-Busch, which has introduced nonalcoholic and canned cocktail drinks, reported that its beer sales in North America fell 4 percent last year.

Bump Williams, who runs an alcoholic beverage consulting firm, said he was becoming concerned that the Bud Light controversy could result in a negative “halo effect” around Anheuser-Busch’s other brands, many of which did see small dips in sales.

Harry Schuhmacher, the publisher of Beer Business Daily, said that as Bud Light sales have fallen, they rose almost dollar for dollar for its competitors Miller Lite and Coors Light.

Mr. Schuhmacher said that the situation was “terrible” in the short-term for Bud Light, but it was likely to have less of an effect on the company’s long-term business because the brand was already in decline. “This just steepens that curve of decline that was already happening,” he said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/business/bud-light-dylan-mulvaney.html