The real losers of the Bud Light fiasco: Truck drivers say they were run over and verbally abused as 500 independent distributors ‘really hurt’ by boycott after Dylan Mulvaney’s disastrous campaign
- Former Anheuser-Busch executive says ‘biggest losers’ from Bud Light boycott are independent beer distributors across America
- Some truckers who deliver the beer have been subjected to homophobic abuse
- Distributors have suffered after a boycott of Bud’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney caused sales to plummet
Truckers who distribute Bud Light across America have faced abuse including homophobic slurs following the backlash over the beer partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
Details of the incidents came as a former Anheuser-Busch executive said independent distributors are the “biggest losers” amid the current furore.
Many have reported that a drop in Bud Light sales has hurt business. Many are family businesses independent of Anheuser-Busch and were caught off guard by the Mulvaney tie-up and subsequent backlash.
Some said their drivers had middle fingers pointed at them and were even called ‘gay beer salesmen’, according to ABC News.
Anheuser-Busch is now desperately trying to win back customers who boycotted its products, including Budweiser and Michelob.
Bud Light distributors have been abused over the beer’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, it is claimed. A former Anheuser-Busch executive says independent distributors have been the ‘biggest losers’ in the debacle
Anheuser-Busch is now desperately trying to win back customers who boycotted its products, including Budweiser and Michelob
Anson Frericks, who left his executive position at Anheuser-Busch last year, said: “The biggest losers here are the 500 independent companies in the United States that distribute Anheuser-Busch products. These are the people who are really suffering.
The president of a distributor said the wholesalers and their staff were in a “really bad situation” and lamented the “frustrating” situation.
Some of the distributors are considering supplementing the paychecks of commission-dependent workers after revenue and sales were hit as a result of the ongoing boycott.
Pestinger Distribution Company in Kansas told ABC that sales of Bud Light have fallen about 30% in recent weeks. Owner Matt Pestinger said: “We’re certain stressed out because you never want to see red numbers.”
He said he still had faith in the management of Anheuser-Busch and ‘[respects] the way they handled it”.
Another business leader said workers “feel it”.
A third added: ‘At the end of the day, the people most affected are the small local retailers and wholesalers in your community.
Anheuser-Busch, the company that owns Budweiser and Bud Light, has lost $15 billion since announcing the merger.
Budweiser recently teamed up with Harley-Davidson for a macho ad that includes beer cans emblazoned with the motorcycle maker’s logo – as company executives try to win back customers.
Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney led to lower sales
The advert features a grey-haired male mechanic working on a Harley motorcycle before three men are shown drinking beer.
Speaking on a rock instrument, a male narrator says, “The greatest legacies are built with courage and resilience, one detail at a time. Limited edition Budweiser Harley-Davidson cans – for those who give their all to their craft. This Bud is for you.
The masculine tone stands in stark contrast to Bud Light’s ill-fated partnership with Mulvaney, 26, which saw the trans influencer receive a can of beer with her face on it to celebrate 365 days of ‘womanhood’.
And as Anheuser-Busch lost value, its competitors added $3.2 billion in market value to their brands.
Molson Coors, owner of Coors Lite, saw its market value increase by $2.2 billion, or around 20%, while Heineken hit a peak of $1 billion, an increase of 1.7%.
Bud Light sales have fallen dramatically since the beer partnership with Dyland Mulvaney and JPMorgan analysts expect it will knock Anheuser-Busch’s profits by 26% this year
Bud Light sales are down more than 23% since the week ending May 6, according to JPMorgan beverage analyst Jared Dinges.
He said the bank expects volume to decline 12-13% in a year in the United States.
“We believe there is a subset of American consumers who will not be drinking Bud Light for the foreseeable future,” analysts said Tuesday.
He added: “The shares have underperformed their European beer counterparts by 15% since the start of April.
“We believe this is due to US uncertainty, as investor attention has shifted squarely to the potential impact of the Bud Light controversy.”
