Modelo Especial, a beer born in Mexico, has outperformed Bud Light, marking two consecutive months as the top-selling beer within U.S. borders. During the fourth week leading to July 1, Modelo Especial boasted 8.7% of national beer sales. Conversely, Bud Light's share accounted for a lesser 7%, based on NIQ data supplied to Bump Williams Consulting.
Bud Light faced a rough pre-Independence Day sales landscape, recording a substantial 28.5% slump. In contrast, Modelo's sales trajectory climbed 8.5% during the identical period. This turbulence follows Bud Light's loss of its long-standing dominance last month, a position sustained for roughly two decades.
This dramatic shift has roots in the Dylan Mulvaney situation. A Bud Light can, specially customized for the transgender influencer, provoked significant backlash upon its Instagram debut, primarily eliciting harsh reactions from conservative quarters and individuals with anti-transgender sentiments.
Anheuser-Busch, the parent entity of Bud Light, faced additional critique from LGBTQ+ supporters due to its muted reaction to the controversy. In an attempt to revive drooping sales in June, Bud Light initiated an innovative marketing drive pivoting to country music and NFL stars.
Despite the turmoil, Bud Light successfully maintains its lead as the annual top-selling beer across the country, securing 8.7% of the beer market. However, Modelo is steadily encroaching on this lead, now boasting an 8.1% market share.
Meanwhile, Constellation Brands, Modelo's parent company located in New York, announced robust earnings recently. Its beer portfolio, also featuring Corona, profited from an 11% sales surge in Q1. Greg Gallagher, Constellation's vice president of brand marketing, expressed assurance to CNN regarding Modelo's spectacular performance over multiple years and stated intentions to duplicate this dominance across increasingly diverse demographics.
