Not only is Bud Lite getting hammered, but their flagship product Budweiser is slammed and they're looking at a strike. There's only one thing to do.
Bring back Louie and the frogs.
Bud Light Missed Out on the Super Bowl Party
Modelo Especial took home the ring; Bud Light still in a sales slump as strike looms
By Jennifer Maloney, WSJ
Feb. 27, 2024 2:30 pm ET
Bud Light ran a 60-second ad during the 2024 Super Bowl.
The maker of Bud Light hoped that the Super Bowl might turn things around for the struggling brand. It barely moved the needle.
Bud Light came in second in the big game with 7.3% of all beer sold in U.S. retail stores in the week before and the week after the Super Bowl, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by consulting firm Bump Williams. Modelo Especial was the champion with 8.7%.
Modelo last May unseated Bud Light as the top-selling U.S. beer by dollar sales, after a Bud Light boycott began in April. Bud Light’s sales still haven’t recovered. The brand’s sales volume was down by 30% in the two-week period ended Feb. 17, compared with the same period a year earlier, Bump Williams said.
Funny, I liked the ad. I think Dylan is wonderful.
Now, Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev BUD -0.06%decrease; red down pointing triangle is preparing for a possible strike at its U.S. breweries, putting further pressure on the brand.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 5,000 Anheuser-Busch employees at a dozen breweries across the country, has threatened to strike on March 1 if it doesn’t reach a deal before the current contract expires on Feb. 29. Members are seeking pay increases and a guarantee that Anheuser-Busch won’t close breweries.
The company has a plan in place to continue production in the event of a strike, a spokesman for the brewer said. He said the brewer’s sales trends in bars and restaurants improved during Super Bowl week, citing data from Beer Board, which tracks sales at 2,000 locations.
Anheuser-Busch will report its latest quarterly results shortly before the strike deadline.
How an antitrust lawsuit and savvy marketing helped Modelo Especial grow in the U.S.
Anheuser-Busch has increased its marketing spending on Bud Light in an effort to win back drinkers. For the Super Bowl, which took place Feb. 11, the brand ran a 60-second spot featuring retired NFL star Peyton Manning, musician Post Malone and a new character called the Bud Light Genie. Bud Light remains the top-selling U.S. beer by volume.
Days before the game, the brand received a surprise endorsement from Donald Trump, who told his social media followers to give Bud Light a second chance. That didn’t help boost sales either.
The Bud Light boycott began after a transgender influencer in April spoke in an Instagram video post about a personalized beer can that the brand had sent her as a gift.
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