Bud Light’s Fourth of July message trolled; Former exec says battle ‘already been lost’

Bud Light’s Fourth of July message trolled; Former exec says battle ‘already been lost’

Bud Light’s Fourth of July message was met by troll ahead of the weekend.

It’s been a tough week for the beer distributor. Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney said she felt abandoned by Bud Light after facing “more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined” over her partnership with the beer giant.

Now, consumers are taking aim at the beer company after Bud Light posted on social media, “It’s 4th of July weekend, enjoy some beer.”

Former Anheuser-Busch executive Anson Frericks, per The Daily Mail, said the Bud Light battle had “already been lost” and called on company shareholders to ask Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth to step down in wake of hiring Mulvaney.

Frericks said the relationship with Mulvaney has cost the Bud Light $20 billion in lost marketing.

“This weekend is make or break. Sadly, though, it looks like the battle has already been lost.”

The feedback from consumers appears to confirm this.

Anheuser-Busch didn’t directly respond to Mulvaney in a statement the company released. But it said it remains “committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community.”

Two marketing executives at parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev took a leave of absence, Bud Light lost its decades-long position as America’s best-selling beer.

In the four weeks ending June 17, Bud Light’s U.S. retail sales had slumped 26% compared with the same period a year ago, according to Bump Williams Consulting, which follows the industry. Sales of Modelo Especial, which recently supplanted Bud Light as the country’s best-selling beer in retail dollar sales, rose 9% in the same period. Modelo’s market share was 8.4%, while Bud Light’s was 7.1%.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.