3 chapters across the catalog
Bud Light Sales Slump, Modelo Especial and Dylan Mulvaney
Bud Light loses its position as the top-selling beer in the U.S. to Modelo Especial following the Dylan Mulvaney marketing controversy. Sales volume for Bud Light dropped over 24% in early June. The hosts express surprise that a Mexican beer has taken the top spot in the American market due to the brand's alienation of its core audience.
Bud Light Sales Decline, Marketing Sabotage Theory
The claim that Bud Light was in a "long-term decline" prior to the recent controversy is challenged using sales data from 2020, which showed it remained the top-selling beer in the US. The segment posits that the current marketing direction might be a form of corporate sabotage by Belgian owners InBev. The shift toward "lighter and brighter" branding is viewed as a fundamental misunderstanding of the product's market.
Heineken pulled a commercial for its light beer after it was labeled racist by Chance the Rapper and other critics. The ad featured a bartender sliding a beer past several Black people to a lighter-skinned woman, accompanied by the slogan "Sometimes lighter is better." While the company apologized, the hosts debate whether the racial subtext was intentional or a marketing oversight.
