Bud Light Maker CEO Responds to Boycott in New Statement: ‘We Hear You’

Bud Light beer cans at City Tap House in Philadelphia on Feb. 12, 2023. Mark Makela/Getty Images

The company that manufactures Bud Light issued a new statement to customers in light of a weeks-long boycott that has caused the beer’s sales to drop significantly after the brand issued a promotional can with a transgender activist’s face on it.

In a statement released on Thursday, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. division, Brendan Whitworth, appeared to make reference to the boycott. The statement, however, did not mention Mulvaney or any of the controversy surrounding the brand’s move.

“We recognize that over the last two months, the discussion surrounding our company and Bud Light has moved away from beer, and this has impacted our consumers, our business partners, and our employees,” Whitworth said in a statement. “We are a beer company, and beer is for everyone.”

Whitworth then said that his company is taking “three important actions” to move Bud Light forward, adding that Anheuser-Busch is “investing to protect the jobs of our frontline employees,” providing financial assistance to wholesalers, and changing its advertisement strategy.

“Our summer advertising launches next week, and you can look forward to Bud Light reinforcing what you’ve always loved about our brand—that it’s easy to drink and easy to enjoy,” the company said. “As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best—brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you. Here’s to a future with more cheers.”

Data shows that Bud Light is currently the No. 2-selling beer in the United States, losing its top spot to Modelo Especial in the month of May, according to industry data. Since Mulvaney made a post with the Bud Light beer can on social media, conservative influencers, and musicians signaled that consumers should distance themselves from the brand, causing consecutive weeks of dropping sales.

Modelo Especial, owned by Constellation Brands in the United States, is No. 1 and holds about 8.4 percent retail sales in the American beer market for the four-week period ending June 3, according to Bump Williams Consulting and Nielsen IQ data, according to several news reports. Bud Light, the data shows, is now No. 2 with 7.3 percent of retail sales.

Bump Williams stated that actual dollar sales were grim for Bud Light during the four-week period, falling 24.4 percent. Modelo’s sales grew 12.2 percent, it said. “Modelo Especial appears to be increasing its sales growth each week as we get deeper into summer,” Williams told CNN on Wednesday, adding that other Modelo beers are also performing well.

Dave Williams, vice president of analytics and insights at Bump Williams consulting, told Axios this week that “if trends were to continue as is for the remainder of the year, Modelo Especial could surpass Bud Light to claim the No. 1 rank in Off-Premise Beer [dollar] sales by year-end.” Williams said that there is still a long way to go for Modelo, which is owned by Constellation Brands in the United States, to claim that top spot.

Cans of Modelo Especial beer at a supermarket in New York on June 14, 2023. Peter Morgan/AP Photo

In response to Thursday’s statement, a group of Anheuser-Busch wholesalers told CNN that it “greatly appreciates the support” that is being announced by Whitworth, adding they have endured a “challenging” environment over the past several months.

“The support Anheuser-Busch announced today will help enable all of us to continue making a positive impact as we work tirelessly to bring our great beers to local bars, restaurants, and stores across this country. We are united and fully committed to moving forward together,” the group said.

The sales slump came after singer Kid Rock used Bud Light cans as target practice to express his displeasure with the brand. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, said he would be boycotting Bud Light. Former President Donald Trump also weighed in on the controversy, suggesting that consumers boycott brands over their left-wing stances.

“It’s time to beat the Radical Left at their own game,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Money does talk—Anheuser-Busch now understands that.”

About a month ago, Michel Doukeris, the CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s global operations, claimed that social media “misinformation” and “confusion” triggered the Bud Light backlash. The CEO also attempted to distance his company from Mulvaney, noting that just “one can” of beer was made that featured Mulvaney’s face.

“People often talk about this topic in social media like noise,” Doukeris told the Financial Times newspaper. “You have one fact, and every person puts an opinion behind the fact. And then the opinions start to be replicated fast on each and every comment. By the time that 10 or 20 people put a comment out there, the reality is no longer what the fact is, but is more [about] what the comments were.”

In mid-May, Anheuser-Busch was downgraded after an HSBC analyst revised the stock down to “hold” and claimed the company is dealing with a “Bud Light crisis.” The analyst also speculated there are “deeper problems” that the company might not be willing to publicly admit.