Sam Amico
Bud Light’s demise has been everyone else’s gain. Or more specifically, Modelo Especial is particularly killing it when it comes to sales, taking over the top spot as the nation’s No. 1 selling beer as Bud Light’s historic slide continues.
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In case you weren’t aware, Bud Light sales have gone in the tank ever since parent company Anheuser-Busch hired transgender star Dylan Mulvaney as its primary spokesperson.
It’s not just those who were against the Mulvaney hiring who are hurting sales, either. Members of the LBGTQ+ community are also reportedly swearing off the brew, citing Anheuser-Busch’s failure to stand behind Mulvaney.
So Bud Light has ticked off just about everyone. That’s never good for sales.
Dylan Mulvaney Speaks Out After Bud Light Campaign Backlash
Unless, of course, you’re the competition.
So Bud Light’s loss has been Modelo’s gain. As relayed by the Daily Mail, Modelo Especial store sales earned a whopping $333 million in May, an increase of more than 15 percent over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Bud Light has gone in completely the other direction since the start of the Mulvaney campaign. In May alone, Bud Light experienced an embarrassing 22 percent drop in sales over the same period as last year.
Overall, Anheuser-Busch’s market value has nose-dived to the tune of $27 billion since bringing Mulvaney on board. Financially, it is proving to be the biggest marketing mistake in business history — and with no end in sight.
So for the first time in 22 years, someone other than Bud Light leads the United States in beer sales. Modelo Especial will undoubtedly drink to that.
‘We thought that would take a little longer. We’ve been very fortunate that, that’s gone a little quicker than we had anticipated,” Model parent company CEO Bill Newlands told Newsweek. “But what a great position to be in.”
