Even if sales of Bud Light fall in response to conservative calls for a boycott, analysts say the impact is likely to evaporate quickly.
After Bud Light’s recent partnership with a transgender influencer, sales of the beer may take a hit as a result of conservative calls for a boycott — or they may get a boost from other people buying more of the product in response. But whatever the effect, analysts say, it will likely evaporate quickly.
“When we see these social-media firestorms, a lot of times they’re very short in nature,” said Beth Fossen, an assistant professor of marketing at Indiana University. “There’s this short burst of outcry or anger, or even very high levels of positive support on the other end.” Nike Inc. NKE , for instance, saw a 31% jump in online sales, according to some estimates, shortly after the athletic-gear maker’s 2018 ad campaign featuring NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick prompted a boycott.
AB InBev didn’t respond to a request for information about the financial impact of the Bud Light backlash. A representative for Mulvaney also did not respond to a similar request. In an earlier statement, the company said that it “works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.”
In an Instagram post, country-rap-metal star Kid Rock, wearing a hat emblazoned with “MAGA,” used a semiautomatic rifle to shoot up cases of Bud Light, flipped his middle finger and said, “F*** Bud Light. F*** Anheuser-Busch.” Country musician Travis Tritt tweeted that he was “deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider.” U.S. Rep.
“Gay people, trans people, we drink beer too, man,” O’Donnell said. “Put down your gun, Kid Rock. It’s in bad taste.” Truist Securities analyst Michael Roxland, in a research note on Tuesday, expressed a note of trepidation on beer-can maker Ball Corp. BALL , which saw 13% of its sales last year from AB InBev. Results for the aluminum-packaging producer, he said, “could be pressured should this issue persist.”
“It’s not a unique partnership,” Walker said of Bud Light and Mulvaney. “Beer companies, companies — especially large companies — they often have large campaigns with influencers and more niche campaigns with influencers. So to me, this isn’t a strange kind of partnership. It’s probably a smart choice for them, especially since they want to attract new [customers].”
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