After a long run, Bud Light is no longer king. The best-selling draft beer in America is now Michelob. It’s a humbling stretch for the mega beer, which first lost out to Modelo Especial last summer as the best-selling overall beer in the land.
There’s no one reason for the change but experts have been pointing to both failed as campaigns by Bud Light as well as a move by consumers towards healthier, lower calorie beers. The newest info comes from Draftline Technologies, which looks at what’s being poured in bars around the nation, among other things.
Michelob has always appealed to a more health conscious crowd, with sporty ads depicting the beer as something you might crack after a pick-up game of hoops or tennis match. Beer sales overall have been slowing in the U.S. lately, with imbibers more interested in other options or a more bespoke option like craft beer. And that’s to say nothing if the still-surging non-alcoholic beer movement, which is showing no signs of slowing down (especially with Dry January on the horizon).
Perhaps 2025 will see some creative new efforts from Bud Light to regain the top spot. The brand has long sponsored the NFL and, earlier this year, struck up a sponsorship deal with the UFC.
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