Bud Light slips in beer sales over Fourth of July

Bud Light, formerly the top-selling beer brand in the U.S., has dropped to third place.

Over a year after a conservative boycott rocked the brand, Bud Light sales have continued to fall. According to NIQ data published in Beer Marketer Insights, Bud Light dipped below Michelob Ultra in sales rankings over the crucial period between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, placing the former light king squarely in third place. 

Still, the drop isn’t a loss for Anheuser-Busch since the alcohol conglomerate owns both Bud Light and Michelob. The company has reportedly dedicated more marketing money to the light lager in the aftermath of the 2023 Bud Light boycott. Some consumers who were turned off by Bud Light may have switched to Michelob Ultra and stayed. 

Both brands were outshined by Mexican lager Modelo Especial, which continues to dominate the U.S. beer market. The beer stands just below 10% of the U.S. market versus Bud Light’s 6.5%. 

The decline of Bud Light began in the spring of 2023 when Anheuser-Busch partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The video of Ms. Mulvaney promoting the beer, which featured a custom Bud Light can with her face on it, attracted the attention of conservative media and sparked a firestorm that lasted months. 

Anheuser-Busch responded to the backlash by cutting ties with Ms. Mulvaney and has since tried to rehabilitate its image with U.S. consumers. In late 2023, Bud Light became the official beer of the UFC, and advertising for the beer appeared prominently during the NFL season.