Molson Coors Reaps Gains as Consumers Steer Away from Bud Light After Dylan Mulvaney Controversy

Molson Coors, the Canadian-American beverage and brewing company based in Chicago, Illinois, reported its earnings on Tuesday, Feb. 13, and results showed it was a good year for the company. Its profits increased by 9.3% to a record amount of $11.7 billion bringing in $1.5 billion in pre-tax gains.

Main Growth Drivers That Helped Revenue Increase

As per Quartz, one of the reasons for Molson Coors’ boosted revenue was the breakdown of its rival beer brand, Bud Light. It can be recalled that last year, Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev, Bud Light’s parent company, had been plagued by the backlash due to the marketing partnership with TikTok influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.

The negative reaction to the campaign was so big that Bud Light took down the clips showing the transgender woman promoting its brand on Instagram. Conservatives and well-known personalities have called for a boycott and the issue quickly escalated and other major companies like Target got involved as well.

Later on, Bud Light was dethroned as the best-selling beer in the United States and Constellation Brand’s Modelo beer took the No. 1 spot. People also started to shift to Molson Coors’ brands - Coors and Miller brands. In short, the Bud Light fiasco led to a massive sales drop and it struggled to make a comeback.

Molson Coors Profit-Boosting Strategy

CNBC reported that the positive result in the earnings report means a return to profit for Molson Coors which incurred losses in the previous year. It has indicated a net income of $103.3 million which is equivalent to 48 cents per share compared to a loss of $590.5 million during the same period last year.

In any case, Molson Coors attributed its successes in the last several years to new investments in its breweries. Its strategy also involved making use of the brand’s commercial capabilities to reach more customers worldwide.

“2023 marked the second straight year in which Molson Coors did exactly what we set out to do - grow our business. But more than that, last year we achieved the highest reported top and bottom-line figures in the history of our Company,” Molson Coor’s president and chief executive officer, Gavin Hattersley, said in a statement via press release. “We plan to build on this momentum in 2024, with strong commercial plans, a powerful and supportive distributor network, and the financial flexibility to reinvest in our business."

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