Topline
Modelo Especial became the most-sold beer in the U.S. in May, pushing Bud Light out of the No. 1 spot it’s held for decades, as Anheuser-Busch struggles to overcome widespread boycotts and controversy stemming from ties with a transgender influencer.
Key Facts
About 8.4% of retail beer sales were Modelos, while Bud Light made up 7.3% of sales during the four-week period ending June 3, according to alcohol consulting firm Bump Williams.
The fall comes amid two straight months of plummeting Bud Light sales, which were more than 24% lower than they were a year ago.
Bud Light made up 10% of beer sales in March, before it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvany by sender her a can of Bud Light with her face on it, which sparked boycotts and outrage from conservatives.
Bud Light previously held the top spot for beer sales in the U.S. since 2001, when it surpassed Budweiser.
Forbes reached out to Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch for comment.
Contra
While Bud Light has seen a major drop in sales over the past two months, it’s still hanging on as the most popular beer for 2023. Year-to-date, Bud Light still makes up 9% of the market, while Modelo is at 8%, Bump Williams’ data shows. The Anheuser-Busch beer also still outshines Modelo in terms of volume sales, even over the past two months. “If current trends were to continue at their most recent pace, then there is a chance that Modelo could surpass Bud Light,” Dave Williams, vice president of analytics and insight at Bump Williams, told Forbes in an email. “But there is still a LOT of ground to cover before we hit that point.”
Key Background
In March, Mulvany posted a TikTok showing a Bud Light can with her face on it and using the hashtag #budlightpartner. The video resulted in criticism from anti-trans conservatives, such as singer Kid Rock, who posted a video of himself shooting cans of the beer. Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch has since distanced itself from the incident, with executives saying there was never a formal partnership. As sales plummeted in April and May, Anheuser-Busch said it was tripling its marketing spending for Bud Light in the U.S. this summer, and also put on leave two marketing executives who had previously said they wanted to make the brand more inclusive.
