Bud Light To Roll Out Buy-Back Program As Sales Continue To Decline
on May 23, 2023
What started out as a strategic marketing move for Bud Light turned into a near-grave mistake as company sales have plummeted in recent months.
The fallout began in March when Bud Light teamed up with Dylan Mulvaney to celebrate the transgender influencer’s 365 days of “womanhood.” Almost immediately after Mulvaney shared on social media that the beer company sent cans of Bud Light with the influencer’s face on it as a celebratory gift, backlash ensued.
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Celebrities such as Kid Rock, Travis Tritt, Ted Nugent, and John Rich were vocal about their frustration toward the company’s partnership decision. While none of the men blatantly called for a boycott, their outspoken opinions against Bud Light led to a boycott of the beer and all Anheuser-Busch products.
RELATED: KID ROCK REACTS TO BUD LIGHT’S NEW CAN
The massive drop in sales has not only affected Anheuser-Busch, but the wholesalers who sell and distribute their products. In an effort to appease those wholesalers, the beer giant has reportedly offered to buy back any unsold beer that is past its expiration date.
The news comes in a reports issued by the Wall Street Journal.
“Anheuser-Busch works with 385 independent distributors, or wholesalers, across the country,” the WSJ wrote. “Many of them are family-owned businesses that have carried Anheuser-Busch products for generations … the wholesalers’ employees, many driving trucks bearing the Bud Light logo, were soon confronted by angry people on streets, in stores and in bars. There were bomb threats at several Anheuser-Busch facilities and wholesaler locations.”
The New York Post reported that Bud Light sales continue to drop more than five weeks after the Mulvaney partnership was announced. “Nationwide retail sales of Bud Light sales dropped 23.6% versus a year ago during the week ended May 6 — slightly worse than the 23.3% decline for the week ended April 29, according to data from Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ data,” the Post wrote.
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While Anheuser-Busch is going to great lengths to win back customers, including restructuring its marketing team, their main focus appears to be making it up to their delivery drivers and wholesalers.
Earlier this month, the company reportedly gave delivery drivers a $500 bonus and a free case of Bud Light. And now they are making it up to wholesalers by ensuring that they aren’t stuck with beer they can’t sell.
But, don’t expect Bud Light to go down without a fight. Ahead of summer drinking season, the company plans to triple its marketing budget and unveil new cans in an effort to drive consumers back to Bud Light.
