Modelo Especial knocked off Bud Light from its decades-long perch as the nation’s top-selling beer in the wake of the Dylan Mulvaney controversy that sparked a boycott of the Anheuser-Busch brand.
Sales of Modelo at groceries and beer stores for the year outpaced Bud Light — the first time the brand has beaten Bud Light on a year-to-date basis, according to the latest data from NielsenIQ, whose figures were first reported by CNN.
Modelo, which is distributed in the US by New York-based Constellation Brands, had an 8.34% share of dollars spent on beer compared to 8.28% for Bud Light through Aug. 12, NIQ reported.
The Mexican lager has consistently beaten Bud Light in monthly sales over the course of the summer as consumers who once embraced the Anheuser-Busch brand struggled to fight off lingering resentment over the Mulvaney ad campaign.
Mulvaney, a transgender social media influencer with millions of followers, began touting Bud Light on her Instagram and TikTok accounts in early April, sparking outrage.
The ensuing anger led to boycott calls of Bud Light — which has been the nation’s top-selling beer for two decades.
For the week that ended July 29, sales of Bud Light fell 25.9%, according to data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting.
The Anheuser-Busch brand saw sales decline by 26.8% during the week ended July 22 — which was slightly worse than the previous week’s slide of 26.1%.
In the four weeks that ended on July 1, Modelo topped Bud Light as the nation’s best-selling beer, capturing 8.7% of overall beer sales compared to just a 7% share for Bud Light.
Despite the bleak news, there are indications that Bud Light’s decline has bottomed out.
According to NielsenIQ data, Bud Light volumes were down 26.7% in recent weeks — a slight improvement from the 30% decline since the spring.
Last month, Constellation Brands, whose portfolio of beers, wines, and spirits includes Corona and Fresca Mixed, posted better-than-expected earnings results for the first quarter, a three-month period that saw beer sales rise by 11%.
Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch InBev felt the sting of the Bud Light boycott, reporting a 10.5% drop in revenue and a nearly 30% plunge in core profit in the US during the second quarter
The Post has sought comment from Constellation Brands and Anheuser-Busch.
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