Bud Light’s competitors, Coors Light and Miller Lite, saw an 18 percent spike in their sales following the Anheuser-Busch-owned brewer’s transgender controversy. Meanwhile, Bud Light has seen a 17 percent drop in sales, after it used Dylan Mulvaney, a biological male who claims to be a transgendered woman, to promote its products.
A report from Insights Express, a beer-focused newsletter, says this is an “extremely difficult scenario” for Bud Light, and that “these numbers are staggering,” according to a report by Daily Mail.
Additionally, overall volume of sales of Bud Light at bars and restaurants dropped by 34.7 percent between April 2 and April 15.
On April 1, Mulvaney announced a partnership with Bud Light — which was at the time the leading light beer brand in the United States — in a series of videos posted to social media.
“This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever — a can with my face on it!” Mulvaney said in one of the videos.
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“Check out my Instagram story to see how you can enjoy March Madness with Bud Light and maybe win some money too,” Mulvaney added. “Love ya. Cheers! Go Team! Whatever team you love, I love, too!”
In the days that followed, Anheuser-Busch lost more than $6 billion in market value.
On April 3, Kid Rock posted a video of himself to social media, in which he stated, “Let me say something to you and be as clear and concise as possible,” before turning around and opening fire on several cans of Bud Light beer.
“Fuck Bud Light, and fuck Anheuser-Busch,” Kid Rock added.
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And Kid Rock was not alone in his assessment.
On April 5, veteran country music star Travis Tritt announced he was no longer having Anheuser-Busch products on his tour bus, adding, “I know many other artists who are doing the same.”
That same day, country music star John Rich also publicly denounced Bud Light, revealing that he was removing the beer from his bar in Nashville.
Between April 2 and April 15, Bud Light’s overall sales at public establishments dropped by 34.7 percent, according to Beer Board. During its second week of transgender controversy, the brand reportedly declined to fourth place for the most popular draft beer.
By the week of April 18, Bud Light sales dropped 17 percent. Meanwhile, Coors Light saw its sales rise by 10.6 percent, with Miller Lite sales rising 11.5 percent.
Last week, sales of Bud Light bumped up slightly, with the company seeing just a 6.7 percent dip in sales, while Coors Light and Miller Lite both saw a large increase of 18 percent.
These numbers are startling for Bud Light, especially given that just before the transgender controversy (during the NCAA basketball tournament from March 18 to April 1), the Anheuser-Busch-owned beer was the clear leader of all Light beers, up 15 percent, according to Brewbound.
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Meanwhile, two senior executives at Anheuser-Busch have taken a “leave of absence.”
On Friday, it was announced that Bud Light Vice President of marketing Alissa Heinerscheid — who had claimed the brand was “on the decline,” and called Bud Light “fratty” and “out-of-touch” — is now off the brand.
After that, it was revealed that Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch’s mainstream brands, has also taken a leave of absence.
“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support. Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence,” Anheuser-Busch said.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.