Bud Light slips again, falling behind Modelo and Michelob Ultra after boycott

More than a year after a consumer boycott drained the sales of what was once the nation’s most popular beer, Bud Light still has a hangover.

New sales data show Bud Light has slipped in the rankings behind Modelo Especial and Michelob Ultra.

Modelo Especial – a Mexican import sold by Constellation Brands that is the official beer sponsor for Team USA in the Olympics – stole Bud Light’s crown as the No. 1 selling beer at grocery and convenience stores across the country in May 2023 amid fallout over a promotional campaign with a transgender influencer. Now Michelob Ultra – also brewed by Anheuser-Busch – has overtaken Bud Light in the No. 2 spot.

Bud Light represented 6.5% of beer dollar sales in U.S. stores in the four weeks ended July 6, behind 9.7% for Modelo Especial and 7.3% for Michelob Ultra and, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data from Bump Williams.

Modelo’s rise was accelerated by a conservative backlash when Dylan Mulvaney posted an Instagram video about a personalized beer can that Bud Light had sent her as a gift.

“While dollar sales aren’t quite back into the ‘positive’ yet, the declines for the brand have improved dramatically and retailer support continues to improve week after week,” the consulting firm’s CEO Bump Williams told USA TODAY.

He also said that "retailer support" continued to improve "week after week."

Target Bud Light backlashExpect fewer rainbow logos for LGBTQ Pride Month

Anheuser-Busch issued a statement that Bud Light “will always be a mainstay of our iconic portfolio.”

“Millions of consumers choose Bud Light every day and we continue to invest in partnerships with the NFL, UFC, and renowned musicians,” the company said.

Major brands such as Bud Light and Target came under attack during Pride Month that year for marketing and merchandise celebrating the LGBTQ community. Sales tumbled and Bud Light lost its status as the nation’s top-selling beer. It remained a target of online attacks for the rest of the year. 

The strategy to crush so-called rainbow capitalism by branding companies as “woke” became known as Bud Lighting.

In February, former president Donald Trump urged his supporters to give Bud Light a “second chance” because Anheuser-Busch is not “a Woke company.”