Posted on 04/13/2023 8:56:04 AM PDT by Red Badger
As the controversy surrounding Bud Light’s partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney heats up, the brand’s parent company has suffered a concurrent loss of more than $5 billion in market value.
Yes, that’s billion with a “B.”
The backlash against Anheuser-Busch began on April 1 when Mulvaney, a transgender social media “influencer,” posted a video letting fans know that Bud Light had sent him a can of beer with his face on it and that he was partnering with the brand for an ad campaign.
In short order, country singers Travis Tritt and John Rich announced that they were boycotting the beer. In Rich’s case, he removed the once-popular product from his Nashville bar after customers stopped ordering it. And the two country stars were just the beginning.
Now, more than a week after Mulvaney announced his Bud Light sponsorship, it appears that the brand has been dealt a major blow.
“Since March 31, shares of Bud Light’s parent company have fallen by nearly 4% — knocking down the company’s market capitalization from $132.38 billion to $127.13 billion,” the New York Post reported on Wednesday.
This was a big turnaround for the company, as Anheuser-Busch had enjoyed a six-month stock market rise that culminated in a value of $134 billion on March 31, according to Newsweek.
Clearly, that trend saw an abrupt reversal starting around the time Mulvaney posted his now-infamous video.
Completing this poll entitles you to our news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. It also didn’t help that Anheuser-Busch exec Alissa Heinerscheid hinted that the brand needed to move beyond its current customer base and begin appealing to a more woke clientele.
It might be too early to pinpoint the Mulvaney partnership as the cause of Bud’s sudden decline in market value, but many think there is an obvious correlation between the two.
And the boycott is only growing. Newsmax host Carl Higbie showed the company just what he thought of its new spokesman by using a shotgun to test the mettle of a few Bud Light cans.
He was preceded by rock star Kid Rock, whose choice of firearm was a bit more powerful.
WARNING: The following video contains images and language that some viewers will find offensive.
The brand seems to know it is in a tough spot as, since the debut of the Mulvaney ad, it has gone dark on social media. Clearly, the fallout over the ad is still reverberating in the boardroom and executive offices at Anheuser-Busch.
We don’t know just how much the controversy will impact the company. But it seems we have a good idea.
AB got themselves caught up in a culture war.
Of all the brands doing the exact same things via DEI and ESG, take Nike for example, why did Bud Light get absolutely hammered by the public?
Bud Light is a very well known brand all across the country. They have been a popular brand for many decades.
Their main problem is choice. There are literally hundreds of brands available at the same price point to choose from.
Americans fed up with this nonsense found a “whipping boy” and piled on, and deservedly so.
Many people believe this will simply blow over and everything will be back to normal in short order. I disagree as this issue has touched a raw nerve and American’s can be very stubborn and vindictive when they choose to be.
I keep hearing more and more stories about removing Bud beers from retailers and drinking establishments. If this trend continues unabated, Bud Light will become a distant memory.
Board room is likely thinking it will blow over, and then back to business as usual, then maybe hire that Rapinoe soccer person next.
Except sales are way way down I’ve heard. Stock can only stay up so long and then lack of sales will drag it down.
Luckily, my favourite beers are not part of the InBev Empire.
Don't forget thfed bailouts that will come. Thing is, between the feds, blackrock and Soros, they can hold out far longer than we think. This is NOT going to hurt them in the long run. They WILL double down. How soon they do remains to be seen.
Stock price isn’t revenue. Stock prices mean nothing to anyone except those looking to cash out.
Really not a hill to die on. Budweiser beers are drunk because they are cheaper to buy, not because they taste good. Unless you boycott ALL the beers and drinks sold under the Anhuaser Busch umbrella, it really is something they can weather through.
Most people have jumped on this simply because there is minimal personal social risk in standing up to a alcohol producing compamy.
I don’t drink that stuff anyway. The little beer that I do drink is usually Guinness.
Many people say the outrage and boycotts are only short-term events, most Americans don’t care, and boycotts don’t really hurt the targeted companies long-term. After all, Gillette, Nike, Coca Cola, etc... all went through same and they are still around, stocks have recovered, etc...
That may be true.
BUT in the short-term thinking of corporate managers - bad PR, and especially a big hit to quarterly sales and especially stock price are more than enough to get people fired. And those who are fired will carry that on their resume forever.
Moreover, even a year or two from now, after the media storm has passed, a seemingly small, but irrecoverable long-term loss of just 1% or 2% in market share will definitely be measured and noticed by them.
Consequences ARE being felt. Keep up the boycotts!
The message is : mentally deranged people like bud lite and you should too
tokyo trolls?
say the next quarterly filing?
“ Looks like a little tranny rally going on. Probably our gay government propping it up”
That’s the two 12 packs of Platinum I picked up this morning along with some mulch at Walmart
“Schadenfreude” is sometimes a delightful emotion to experience.
I, for one, and enjoying reading every article mocking and pointing out the financial losses of AB.
Maybe next Budweiser will bring us a white guy doing blackface with step and fet5chit while eating a big chicken leg. Maybe sitting on a big watermelon...
It’s within reason
If they were bleeding millions, investors would be dropping their stock like hot cakes. That isn't happening. Stock isn't revenue, but it is an indication of the health of a company, and this one ain't hurting. Talk to me when it begins to crash. Then I'll change my mind.
How come you left out CEI, Corporate Equality Index? It's a "resource" of the HRC, Human Rights Campaign. Black Rock, Fidelity and Vanguard are big proponents of this in their dealings with corporations. Those CEI scores matter.
This is false. Their stock price is up 8% from a month ago.
Blackrock/Vanguard/State Street will ensure they keep afloat until this blows over. Their ESG score is the envy of the Fortune 500. This act of camaraderie between big business and their institutional investors will not be forgotten by anyone.
Instead, they have let this drag on for days.
I don't even drink, but I have begun to hate Bud Light!
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