It all began on July 14, 2008, when Anheuser-Busch (AB) was acquired by InBev, a Belgian brewer, creating the world’s largest brewer (AB InBev). For 11 years, Anson Frericks worked for AB InBev, rising to the position of president of sales and distribution.
Mr. Frericks had a ringside seat to the fall of an American mercantile icon, Bud Light. On April 1, 2023, a culmination of massive errors and failed corporate policies led to the catastrophic decision to use transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney to sell beer. Frericks wrote a book on the Bud Light catastrophe, “Last Call for Bud Light,”
Within three weeks, Bud Light lost 40% of its customers, and most analysts believe they will never get them back. That’s how seriously AB InBev totally misjudged their customers and the beer market.
AB InBev began to go downhill when they moved their headquarters from St. Louis to New York City. Dave Weigel interviewed Frericks for Semafor.
You lost a lot of people that were more Midwestern or family oriented. You picked a lot of people that were younger, more urban in their tastes. In the Midwest, Anheuser, Busch, Bud Light, Budweiser, had 50% plus market share. It was much less in New…
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