Modelo Especial beer was organized in the Brooklyn Borough of New York, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021.
Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Bud Light lost its top spot in the US beer market last month, as the brand’s sales sank following conservative uproar over its partnership with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Constellation Brands‘ Modelo led the market as it captured 8.4% of beer sales from retail stores in the four weeks ended June 3, according to NielsenIQ data from consulting firm Bump Williams. Bud Light followed with a 7.3% share.
Bud Light sales fell 24.6% during the year over the year, while Modelo sales jumped 10.2%, the data show.
However, the Anheuser-Busch InBev The Bud Light brand has been the top selling beer in the US so far this year, according to Bump Williams.
The hit to AB InBev’s business marks one of the few times in recent years that online backlash has led to a dramatic and sustained fall for a major brand. The company’s shares have fallen nearly 15% since the beginning of April, when Mulvaney posted a video of a personalized Bud Light can, sparking anti-LGBTQ+ outrage.
In response to the uproar, the company appeared to neither defend the promotion with Mulvaney — a reluctance that angered some trans rights supporters — nor appease conservatives who oppose the marketing.
“We don’t intend to be part of a discussion that divides people. We’re in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement in April.
The boycott against Bud Light comes as state and federal politicians increasingly push to roll back the rights of trans people. Hundreds of state laws have targeted trans Americans in recent months, putting more stress on members of a marginalized group.
The inclusion of and marketing to trans Americans, and LGBTQ+ people more broadly, has become more common among major companies in recent years. But the increasingly aggressive response to those campaigns appears to curb them, at least in some instances.
Target recently released some Pride month merchandise after isolated incidents in which customers threatened employees over Pride items. And what the union represents Starbucks Baristas said this week that employees at dozens of stores are not allowed to put up Pride decorations.
Last month, a spokesperson for Target said the retailer had “experienced threats that affected our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work” and would remove unspecified “items that have been central to the most important coping behaviors.”
The spokesperson added that Target will focus on “advancing our ongoing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.”
Starbucks said in a statement that it has not changed the company’s policy on decorations and encourages stores to celebrate Pride month.
