The proof is in the pudding. It’s clear to see that Anheuser Busch has been in disarray. Just last week, Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing, and one of the faces at the center of it all, took an indefinite leave of absence in the wake of Dylan Mulvaney scandal. Now today, a key senior marketing executive has also announced his leave of absence. Daniel Blake oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch’s mainstream brands. Insiders tell the NY Post that Blake’s departure was not voluntary.
Now, NielsonIQ is out with the numbers. Sales for Bud Light have dropped 17% in this most recent week. In the week before, when the scandal first hit, sales dropped 6%. That means that the more this story gets baked in, the more people discover the details, the more consumers are turned off to the Bud Light brand.
The NY Post notes some stark words from an objective beer newsletter, which focuses on consumer trends in beer. “These numbers are staggering. Right now this is an extremely difficult scenario for Anheuser Busch, the Bud Light brand and for AB distributors.”
And market-share wise, Bud Light has been down 6.7%, while Miller and Coors Light are up 18% in shares.
Anheuser-Busch has been summoned to a meeting with their distributors in Washington DC. We’ll see if their distribution is still the same post meeting. Don’t hold your breath.
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