Bud Light never recovered from making one bad mistake

Bud Light was one of the most iconic American brands out there.

Everything changed in an instant.

And Bud Light never recovered from making one bad mistake.

The Bud Light boycott was the canary in the coal mine that there was a mass backlash building across America to woke ideology.

Bud Light’s scheme to appeal to younger millennials on the east and west coasts by marketing the beer as pro-transgender through a sponsorship deal with Dylan Mulvaney, a grown man who dresses and acts like a teenage girl, was the first sign the general public was sick of social justice warriors browbeating them about how they had to accept new cultural values and standards.

Music star Kid Rock announced he was boycotting Bud Light and millions of Americans soon followed.

Bud Light forgot that their core audience was everyday Americans, many of whom live in red states and rural communities.

When Bud Light spit in their face by aligning with an influencer that markets transgenderism to children, their customers checked out.

Bud Light sales immediately plunged over 25 percent and the beer lost its recognition as the number one beer in America.

But nearly two years later, Bud Light’s sales are still sinking.

“They haven’t at all [recovered],” former Anheuser-Busch President of Operations Anson Frericks said in an interview on Fox News Business.

The week ending January 20, 2025, saw sales down 30 percent year-over-year, which amounted to billions of dollars in losses.

“I think that’s one of the most interesting parts about this story is that they lost 30% of their customers,” Frericks added. “Millions of customers, billions of dollars of shareholder value over the last couple of years.”

Bud Light tried a rebrand at the Super Bowl with a new commercial featuring pro-Trump comedian Shane Gillis, musician Post Malone and Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

Frericks found the ad compelling but explained that Bud Light inflicted so much brand damage on itself with the Mulvaney stunt that there was no easy path back.

“They are advertising Bud Light. And candidly, the commercials are actually pretty good,” Frericks continued. “They have Shane Gillis, who’s about the opposite of Dylan Mulvaney. You couldn’t have maybe someone more opposite. They have Post Malone, but the problem is they’ve lost a lot of their customers.” 

Bud Light never actually apologized.

And Frericks explained that Bud Light trying to have it both ways is what is ultimately holding the company back.

“Their customers are asking them, ‘hey, what is Bud Light going to be moving forward? Is it gonna be more than Shane Gillis and fun in football, or is it Dylan Mulvaney?’” Frericks asked.

“Until the company really comes back and says clearly what Bud Light is going to be? I don’t know if any of their loyal customers are going to come back,” Frericks concluded.