It’s been nearly two months since an ill-fated partnership with a dude who dresses like a little girl caused Bud Light’s public image – and financial portfolio – to drop like a boat anchor. And if this news is any indication, things aren’t looking much better heading into mid-May.
Bud Light is reportedly buying back unsold cases of beer after its disastrous Dylan Mulvaney partnership caused sales to tank, the brand’s stock to drop, and its loyal customer base to refuse to drink their product even when given away for free.
According to this, Bud Light’s parent company, Anhueser-Busch, is planning to buy back expired beer that’s sat on shelves untouched in the weeks following the fiasco, all while the company rolls out a new re-branding campaign that seeks to partner Bud Light’s image with Anhueser-Bush’s support of a veterans organization.
Bud Light sales dropped a stunning 28% to first week in May, a downward trajectory that’s continued to spiral the drain ever since Mulvaney, a trans TikTok star, posted a video showing himself dressed up like Audrey Hepburn and pretending not to know anything about basketball while sipping from a can of Bud Light emblazoned with his face.
Bud Light sales continue to get worse. Now down 28% in the first week in May. Competing beer brands have seen their sales increase. With one trans ad Bud Light destroyed their business. Graphic via @wsj. pic.twitter.com/5s3rR29Uoq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 21, 2023
In a desperate bid to save the brand, the Wall Street journal reports the company is ditching now-former VP of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid's plan to get rid of the Bud Light’s “fratty” image in favor of a new marketing campaign centered on football, country music, and good ol’ Americana imagery.
Related: Clay Travis Tried To Give Away Free Bud Light - and No One Would Touch It
But given that the company’s already rolled out one ad featuring a Clydesdale trotting down a dirt road past blue-collar construction workers and farmers hoisting the American flag since the Mulvaney debacle – an olive branch that doesn’t appear to have attracted back any of the brand’s disgusted customer base – it’s not clear whether there’s much Anhueser-Busch can do to turn this catastrophe around, at least in the near future. Twitter users have posted photos of $20 coupons attached to cases of Bud Light priced $19.98, mocking the company for literally giving beer away in an attempt to raise sale numbers.
The Bud Light marketing team must still be all women if they think a coupon will get a man’s attention pic.twitter.com/ZsQiy2vung
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) May 14, 2023
Follow MRCTV on Twitter!
'Unconstitutional': Restrictive New Jersey Concealed-Carry Law Blocked By Court https://t.co/6xLtOWCJWq
— MRCTV (@mrctv) May 22, 2023