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Bud Light slips even further down list of America's favorite beers as underdog shoots up rankings
Bud Light's popularity continues to decline more than a year after a boycott disrupted the US beer industry.
A backlash that began last April - after the beer giant used a transgender influencer in an advert - has snowballed, new sales figures show.
Back then, Bud Light was the undisputed top-selling beer in American stores by a margin. It had held the place for decades.
It fell below Modelo Especial last summer - and now it has slipped to No3 behind Michelob Ultra. Coors Light could overtake Bud Light by the end of the year if the fall in sales - shown in the graph below - continues.
Even a surprise endorsement from Donald Trump in February - and ads featuring NFL legend Peyton Manning and rapper Post Malone - have not slowed the sales decline.
Bud Light sales have slumped since February 2023
Bud Light’s market share has slipped so far that, in the four weeks ending July 6, its sales made up just 6.5 percent of beer sold in stores in dollar terms.
That is a sharp fall on more than ten percent before the boycott.
Meanwhile, Modelo accounted for 9.7 percent of sales and Michelob 7.3 percent over the four weeks , according to NielsenIQ data analyzed by consulting firm Bump Williams.
The four-week stretch between Memorial Day and July Fourth weekend is essential for brewers' sale.
Modelo, a Mexican import sold by Constellation Brands, has outpaced Bud Light in dollar sales since last year. It has now also surpassed Bud Light in sales volume.
The new rankings reflect the ongoing impact of the boycott after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted an Instagram video in April last year that featured a personalized Bud Light can with her image on it.
While dressed as the character Holly Golightly, from the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, Mulvaney said she was celebrating 'day 365 of womanhood', after having transitioned.
It sparked a huge backlash - and Americans boycotted the once-top selling lager in the US.
Bud Light bosses hoped a new ad campaign in February with NFL legends Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith and rapper Post Malone would boost sales. It didn't - with market share falling further since then.
But Michelob has also been helped by extra money spend on marketing it to health-conscious drinkers - since it is billed as a low-carb beer. It sponsored the Copa America, for example.
Modelo has outpaced Bud Light in dollar sales since last year. It has now also surpassed Bud Light in sales volume
Six-packs of Bud Light, Budweiser and Michelob Ultra. The latter is now the No2 beer ahead of Bud Light
Bud Light's parent company lost sales and the brand lost its top spot as the best selling US beer following the backlash to Mulvaney - so it got NFL legends Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith to feature in new adverts
Bud Light saw sales plummet last year after a boycott following a collaboration with influencer Dylan Mulvaney
There was another indication of the lasting damage to the brand in March when Budweiser’s bosses released their earnings for last year.
They told investors that the Bud Light boycott had led to a $1.4 billion drop in sales in America.
The world's largest brewer said sales dropped 15.3 percent after Mulvaney's post.
But there was a slither of good news for Belgian-based parent company AB InBev - also the maker of Stella Artois and Corona - in this week’s figures.
They also make Michelob, which was the beer that jumped Bud Light into second place.