Bud Light Makes Desperate Move to Save 4th of July Sales - But There's a Huge Problem
You know the old saying, “It’s so bad they can’t give it away for free?”
Well, Bud Light executives are apparently so desperate they are going to try.
Things seem to have gotten so bad for the company that it’s reportedly offering free beer through a $15 rebate promotion ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.
According to Newsweek, customers who purchase a 15-pack of Budweiser, Budweiser Select 55, or Bud Light can claim a $15 rebate, making the beer either cheaper or completely free in some cases, depending on the location where it’s sold.
You couldn’t pay me.
Bud Light offers free beer over July 4 holiday in wake of Dylan Mulvaney fiasco https://t.co/oJI9csZoCZ via @nypost
— Beri (@sniffydogs) June 28, 2023
This isn’t the first time Bud Light has used rebates to try to raise sales recently, but having the promotion around a major beer-centric weekend like the Fourth is a sign of just how bad things are.
“Epic summer” = burning through marketing budget hoping consumers will actually take the free beer off the shelves… pic.twitter.com/e9CjakEaUQ
— Kelvin Chew (@_kelvinchew) June 23, 2023
A beer company giving away beer around Independence Day is like a poultry farmer giving away turkeys at Thanksgiving.
Bud Light has been struggling to makeover its image since its highly criticized partnership with transgender activist and TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which led to the boycott and subsequent downfall of what was once the nation’s best-selling beer.
The effort to change public perception included a new ad evoking the nostalgia of lazy all-American summers with the tagline, “Crack a cold one: we’ve got an epic summer ahead. Sock tans included.”
“Epic summer” = burning through marketing budget hoping consumers will actually take the free beer off the shelves… pic.twitter.com/e9CjakEaUQ
— Kelvin Chew (@_kelvinchew) June 23, 2023
The ad didn’t have the desired effect, however.
It turns out American beer drinkers have longer memories than Bud Light had hoped, and Twitter users were quick to criticize the brand for trying to pander to the demographic their former marketing VP referred to as “fratty” and “out of touch” after its efforts to go woke epically destroyed the brand and its sales. All while simultaneously sponsoring a “pride” event containing nudity in Toronto.
Well, @BudLight, you gave us a new commercial full of goofy guys with sock tans to appeal what you perceive as what we want in order to get us to buy your beer. But then you sponsor a drag event in Toronto containing nudity. Clearly you just don’t get it. #BoycottBudLight https://t.co/hR1CCEsbP3
— 𝙳𝚎𝚗𝚊 𝙱. (@D_R_Berry) June 24, 2023
Data reveal a significant decline in Bud Light’s sales, with a staggering 28.5 percent drop reported in mid-May. Other Anheuser-Busch brands such as Budweiser, Busch Light, and Michelob Ultra are also experiencing declines, while competitors like Yuengling Lager, Coors Lite, and Miller Lite are seeing growth, according to a piece published by the Daily Caller on Tuesday by contributor Andrew Powell.
That spurred the company to a similar marketing effort for the Memorial Day weekend. It didn’t work out so well.
The data from mid-June show the trend continuing, according to Newsweek.
“Earlier this month, Newsweek obtained Nielsen IQ Bud Light sales data from Bump Williams Consulting, which showed a decline of 30.2 percent in the beer’s sales for the week ending on June 10, when compared to the same week a year earlier,” the publication reported.
It may be hard for some Americans to turn down free beer on a holiday weekend, so it’s safe to assume sales figures will go up at least a little for the fallen-from-favor beer brand.
But even if Bud Light’s sales go up because of the promotion, it won’t affect the brand’s revenue figures since the beer is literally being given away. That’s obviously a huge problem for any company in a capitalist system.
It looks like Bud Light still hasn’t figured out that the American people want more than a change in the brand’s “perception”– they want a change in its principles.
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