Bud Light is between a rock and a hard place right now, having ticked off those on the right over its partnership with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney and angering those on the left for turning its back on the trans community amid the backlash. Sales numbers continue to dive, with the blowback now affecting Anheuser-Busch's other brands, not just Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch's volumes were down over 12 percent last month, while Bud Light fell 21.4 percent.
Meanwhile, the company's competitors are happy to pick up their customers, with Miller Lite and Yuengling seeing sales increases, rising 12.8 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively. Coors Light and Coors Banquet's numbers also jumped.
For Yuengling, it's likely thanks to some very smart marketing that understands exactly which nerve among the American populace the Dylan Mulvaney incident touched.
In the immediate aftermath of the saga, a Yuengling tweet celebrating its long history got a lot of attention, and now, the company has come out with Team Red, White & Blue-themed camo cans to support veterans as part of its Stars & Stripes program.
The special Team RWB cans, emblazoned with a unique desert camouflage print and Team RWB logo, mark just one of the many ways Yuengling continues to honor America’s veterans. Starting this month, the limited-edition cans will be available across the brewery’s 23-state footprint in 12pk/12oz and 24pk/12oz cans and single-serve 24oz cans until the end of the summer, available for purchase at fans’ favorite stores, restaurants and bars. (Yuengling)
"As America's Oldest Brewery®, we take pride in our longstanding commitment to the U.S. military and are thankful to those who have made tremendous sacrifices to protect our country's freedom," Jennifer Yuengling, Vice President of Operations and 6th generation family member, said in a statement. "Team RWB is an organization that shares our commitment to our nation's heroes, and we are excited to bring back our limited-edition cans that help raise awareness and support services for America's veterans."
We were gonna drink your beer anyway. But this just makes it better. USA! 🇺🇸
— Excelsior Strategies (@Excelsior_PR) May 8, 2023
Twitter users suggested Anheuser-Busch could learn a thing or two about marketing from Yuengling.
@yuenglingbeer @budlight @AnheuserBusch
— Larry Jude (@LarryJude) May 8, 2023
This is how real marketing is done for the the beer drinking masses. https://t.co/Gg6hiKS6SO
Here, take note of an excellent example of marketing:https://t.co/OWCmaGmUEG
— Queef Latina ®️ (@BillNKitches) May 8, 2023
Now the company just needs to work on its distribution.