America’s former No. 1 beer giant will need a strong comeback campaign that's true to their message of being a beer for all but pokes fun of their faults to appeal to their base as their sales have continued to plummet, a 30-year beer industry brand strategist told Fox News.
"If I'm Bud Light, I'm going back to what worked and that's the brand positioning and DNA," Founder of Ahead of The Curve Strategy and The E-Premise Group Ethan Stienstra said. "It's funny, it's witty, maybe a little sophomoric, but that's their base, which they've alienated. They need to come back strong with something."
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"I would poke fun at myself and say I'm wrong," he said. "Everyone loves somebody that's self-depreciating."
Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch has faced major sales hits following the beer giant's partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney that sparked harsh backlash and sent the company's market value plummeting by over $35 billon. In response, Anheuser-Busch’s CEO Brendan Whitworth released a statement telling consumers "we hear you" on June 15 which included three important actions to move the company forward, but no apology to their customers.
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"To all our valued consumers, we hear you," Whitworth said. "You can look forward to Bud Light reinforcing what you’ve always loved about our brand — that it’s easy to drink and easy to enjoy."
"As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best — brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you," the statement read.
In April, Bud Light sent transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney a special pack of beer with her face on the can as part of an ad for the company's March Madness contest and to celebrate a year since she transitioned. Some Bud Light consumers opted to boycott the brand and other Anheuser-Busch products in response, prompting the ouster of the beer giant from the top beer slot and a major drop in sales that has yet to rebound.
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"It's not looking pretty," Stienstra said. "They've lost their number one positioning."
Modelo Especial passed Bud Light as the No. 1-selling beer brand on a dollar basis for the four-week and single-week period ending June 3. Also, for the week ending June 3, Bud Light sales were down 24.4% compared to a year ago, according to data previously provided to FOX Business by Bump Williams Consulting.
"Summer weeks and weekends are the glory periods of beer," Stienstra said of the soaring seasonal beer sales. "This could not have come at a worse time to be happening in April, and now we're in June and it's not letting up."
While Bud Light’s sales have plummeted, their competitors’ sales are surging. Coors Light sales increased by 25.8% and Miller Lite rose by 21.4% over the same period.
Stienstra, who's worked in the beer industry over 30 years and was involved in partnerships with Anheuser-Busch in the past, told Fox News the Bud Light marketing team's missteps were in their response to the initial backlash from the Mulvaney partnership.
"To me, the misstep wasn't Dylan Mulvaney that caused the quagmire," Stienstra said. " It was them not really understanding how to deal with the eruption."
"There wasn't a sense of urgency that could have stamped out this fire much earlier," he continued. "They took way too long to address that situation."
The 30-year beer industry vet praised former marketing head, Robert Lachkey, for smart branding strategies including the "Whassup?" 1999 promo and the "Talking Frogs" commercial that debuted at the Super Bowl. The brand strategist also complimented Bud Light's 1987 super party animal Spuds Mackenzie that led to soaring sales.
"Those were the ads that that brought the brand to life," he said. "They've got to find their next Bob Lachkey, and they've got to get back to their roots on how they got to be the number one brand in America."
Bud Light marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid took a leave of absence following the controversy in April. The company also hired consultants with experience in Washington, D.C.'s circles to advise the brand moving forward.
But Stienstra said Bud Light is going to need to rethink its marketing strategies going forward to come back from plummeting sales and regain an alienated base. Anheuser-Busch did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
"We've seen brands reinvent themselves, but those took years and years to rebuild and reposition," Stienstra said. "It's going to take a little while."
"America loves a comeback, and they need one," he continued. "It's time to build a campaign for this brand to come back. It used to be America's social lubricant. I think it can be again someday."
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