Anheuser-Busch Boycotts Could Have ‘More Legs Than Most’ As Clydesdale Events Nixed

The Bud Light/Anheuser-Busch boycotts over the Dylan Mulvaney controversy may have staying power, and the fallout has spilled over into a second week.

Several planned Clydesdale shows in Missouri have been canceled, “citing safety concerns for employees,” while one insider told the New York Post that this latest boycott could have “more legs than most.”

“It started out as a conversation on social media and has breached into mainstream media,” said Justin Kendall, editor of the beer industry trade publication Brewbound.

“Bud Light is the best-selling beer in the country,” he continued, adding that it still remains to be seen whether or not beer-drinkers follow through on their threats to boycott the company.

Bud Light backs Dylan Mulvaney, but at what cost?

We may not have to wait long, though.

The Post added that data from Bud Light sales at grocery and convenience stores should be available next week.

If you read the tea leaves, however, you may not even have to wait that long to connect the dots.

Kid Rock got the ball rolling last week by hurling a couple cases of Bud Light into the river during a profanity-laced video, while country music stars Travis Tritt and Jon Rich both banned Anheuser-Busch from their concerts.

The latest cause for concern comes to us from Missouri, where local Budweiser distributor Wil Fischer Distributing canceled all planned Clydesdale showings.

“We aren’t going to comment on the issue … everything is still sensitive in social media,” an executive at Wil Fischer told The Post, asking not to be identified by name.

And just to really make sure they’re properly rocking the boat, Anheuser-Busch’s president of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, recently she said she hoped to update the “fratty” and “out of touch” humor of the beer company to appeal to younger consumers.

Apparently, commemorating transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney’s 1-year anniversary of becoming a female was the way to do that?

“She didn’t need to go that far and trash the prior campaigns,” branding expert Michael Stone told The Post.

“She could have said we are moving on to reach the demographic we want to reach and to communicate a different message.”

Even if the data is bad next week, Bud Light has apparently been on the way down for years now. While it’s still the most popular beer in the country, sales were down 0.4% to $974 million this year through March 26 compared to a year earlier according to consumer-tracking site Circana.

By contrast, Bud Light’s closest competitor Modelo Especial (who knew?) sales were up 11.1% to $706 million over the same period.