Bud Light sales down 23.6% in first week of May as Mulvaney backlash continues

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2 years ago

May 17, 2023

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close Video Bud Light should not get involved in divisive political issues: Anson Frericks

Former Anheuser-Busch executive Anson Frericks discusses the sales of Miller Lite and Coors after the Bud Light controversy on The Bottom Line.

Bud Light continued to see a decline in sales during the month of May as consumers nationwide revolt against the nation’s top-selling beer brand over its controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

This is Bud Light’s fifth straight week of plunging sales since Mulvaney first announced a collaboration with the brand, reigniting concern among distributors over whether the beer maker can successfully heal from the branding nightmare.

Compared to a year ago, retail sales of Bud Light in the U.S. were down by 23.6% in the week ending on May 6, surpassing the 23.3% decline the brand saw in the last week of April, according to data from Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ, cited by the New York Post.

Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company, also saw significant declines in year over year sales of its other products, though at a slower rate than in previous weeks. Budweiser sales were down 9.7% compared to 11.4% a week earlier; Michelob Ultra dropped 2.9% versus 4.3%; and Natural Light was down 2.5% compared to a 5.2% decline in sales the week prior, the Post reported.

Bud Light sales in the U.S. are down by 23.6%. (Kevin Liles / Getty Contributor)

The latest numbers come after a report released by Beer Business Daily found that the beer company faced net losses for four weeks in April leading up to April 29. This followed initial reports that showed Bud Light in-store sales dropped 26% in the week of April 22.

Data from Connecticut-based Bump Williams Consulting also showed that total sales for Bud Light fell by 8% for the year so far, costing the company approximately $5 billion in losses.

The sharp drop in sales prompted HSBC to downgrade Anheuser-Busch InBev stock to hold in early May, citing a “crisis” following the brand’s controversial marketing campaign that sparked intense backlash after videos emerged of Mulvaney showing a can of Bud Light featuring the activist’s face in celebration of Mulvaneys “year of girlhood.” The promotion quickly led to calls for boycotts, particularly among conservative commentators.

BUD LIGHT PARENT COMPANY’S STOCK DOWNGRADED BY HSBC AMID BRANDING CRISIS, HUGE SALES DROP

Bud Light continues to face backlash more than a month after its polarizing pact with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney prompted outrage. (Getty)

In the meantime, the company has since attempted to make amends with its customers. Bud Light marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid and Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Buschs mainstream brands, both took a leave of absence after the backlash, particularly after Heinerscheid was caught in an interview blasting the brand as “fratty” with “out of touch humor.” A new country-based ad aired during the NFL Draft on April 27 as part of a new campaign.

The company has also attempted to contextualize the Mulvaney videos, explaining that a “third-party ad agency” was responsible for the collaboration with no intention to sell the can. Anheuser-Busch stated that the marketing firm has since been fired, though it declined to name the company.

ANHEUSER-BUSCH BLAMES THIRD PARTY AD AGENCY FOR DYLAN MULVANEY PARTNERSHIP, CUTS TIES AMID MARKETING SHAKE-UP

A picture of the commemorative Bud Light can featuring TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney. (Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram)

Anheuser-Busch also originally put out a statement to Fox News Digital regarding the can.

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“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics. From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.

Yael Halon is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to yael.halon@fox.com.

Technology

Uber opens ‘interest list’ for Waymo robotaxi rides in Austin

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2 hours ago

February 5, 2025

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Uber opens 'interest list' for Waymo robotaxi rides in Austin

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 22, 2025.

Gerry Miller | CNBC

Ride-hailing and food delivery app Uber is opening its “interest list” to users in Austin, Texas, who want to be first in line for Waymo robotaxis there.

The company said in a statement that users will “be able to travel across 37 square miles of Austin — from Hyde Park, to Downtown, to Montopolis” — when the Uber-Waymo service launches soon.

The so-called “interest list” allows users to receive Uber updates and bolsters their odds of being matched with a Waymo autonomous vehicle upon launch.

The vehicles that will be part of the Austin service are Jaguar iPace electric models equipped with Waymo’s driverless systems and labeled with both Waymo and Uber branding.

The Waymo rides in Austin will only be available through the Uber app, unlike in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where riders hail them through the Waymo One app.

In the face of investor pressure to step up its autonomous vehicle strategy after Tesla promised it would soon start producing robotaxis, Uber last year said it had begun testing a ride-hailing app with some of its employees.

While Tesla does not make vehicles that are safe to use without a human driver at the wheel, ready to steer or brake at all times, Elon Musk’s automaker in January said it will “begin launching” a driverless ride-hailing business “later this year” starting in Austin.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, testing and operating a commercial robotaxi service in the state does not require the same types of special licenses and permits that other states require.

“Texas law allows for AV testing and operations on Texas roadways as long as they meet the same safety and insurance requirements as every other vehicle on the road,” a spokesperson for the department told CNBC by e-mail.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is expected to discuss the impact of automated driving systems — or self-driving cars — on the company’s overall business and strategy on a fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.

Politics

Bybit fined $1M by India’s financial regulator over compliance violations

Published

2 hours ago

February 5, 2025

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Bybit fined M by India’s financial regulator over compliance violations

India’s financial regulator has fined Bybit $1 million for failing to register under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, leaving its compliance status unclear.

Science

Scientists Control Kelvin Waves in Superfluid Helium for First Time

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2 hours ago

February 5, 2025

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Scientists Control Kelvin Waves in Superfluid Helium for First Time

For the first time, researchers have successfully controlled and observed Kelvin waves in superfluid helium-4, marking a significant step in understanding energy dissipation in quantum systems. The study has provided a controlled method to excite these helical waves, which had previously only been observed in unpredictable conditions. The research opens new possibilities for studying quantised vortices and their role in energy transfer at the quantum level.

Controlled Excitation of Kelvin Waves

According to the study published in Nature Physics, also available on arXiv, Kelvin waves—first described by Lord Kelvin in 1880—are helical disturbances that travel along vortex lines in superfluid systems. These waves play a crucial role in energy dissipation within quantum fluids but have remained difficult to study due to the challenges of controlled excitation.

Associate Professor Yosuke Minowa from Kyoto University, the lead author of the study, told Phys.org that the breakthrough occurred unexpectedly. An electric field was applied to a nanoparticle decorating a quantised vortex with the intention of moving the structure. Instead, the vortex core exhibited a distinct wavy motion, leading researchers to shift their focus toward controlled Kelvin wave excitation.

Superfluid Properties and Quantum Vortex Behaviour

Superfluid helium-4, which exhibits quantum effects at macroscopic scales when cooled below 2.17 Kelvin, has no viscosity, allowing it to flow without friction. This unique state prevents energy from dissipating as heat, leading to the formation of Kelvin waves when disturbances occur in the vortex lines of the fluid. The research team demonstrated that these waves, rather than traditional fluid turbulence, provide an essential mechanism for energy transfer in superfluid systems.

Nanoparticles Used for Wave Visualisation

To track the motion of Kelvin waves, the researchers introduced silicon nanoparticles into superfluid helium-4 at 1.4 Kelvin by directing a laser at a silicon wafer submerged in the fluid. Some nanoparticles became trapped within vortex cores, making them visible under controlled conditions. A time-varying electric field was then applied, forcing oscillations in the trapped particles and generating a helical wave along the vortex.

Experiments were conducted across different excitation frequencies ranging from 0.8 to 3.0 Hertz. A dual-camera system allowed for three-dimensional reconstruction of the wave’s motion, confirming its helical nature.

Experimental Confirmation and Future Research

Prof. Minowa explained to Phys.org that proving the observed phenomenon was indeed a Kelvin wave required an in-depth analysis of dispersion relations, phase velocity, and three-dimensional dynamics. By reconstructing the vortex’s motion in 3D, the researchers provided direct evidence of the wave’s handedness, confirming its left-handed helical structure—something never experimentally demonstrated before.

To validate their findings, the team developed a vortex filament model, which simulated Kelvin wave excitation under similar conditions. These simulations confirmed that forced oscillations of a charged nanoparticle generated helical waves in both directions, aligning with experimental results.

The study introduces a new approach for studying Kelvin waves in superfluid helium, offering insights into the mechanics of quantised vortices. Future research may explore the nonlinearity and decay processes of Kelvin waves, potentially revealing further details about quantum fluid dynamics.