The New York Times published the story of how Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager, surpassed Bud Light as the top-selling beer in America.
This predates the conservative backlash that Bud Light faced in April over a collaboration with a transgender influencer. The country’s steadily growing Hispanic population is only part of the story, too.
Rather, the factors that, for the better part of a decade, put Modelo on its triumphant track include an increasing preference among American consumers for imported, more expensive beer; a decade-old antitrust deal; and effective marketing campaigns aimed at attracting young, non-Hispanic consumers to the Mexican beer.
“Most people in the beer industry have assumed Modelo was going to overtake Bud Light at some point,” said Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, a trade group representing more than 6,000 American breweries. “It was a question of when not if.”
The switch occurred at the start of June after Bud Light had held the No. 1 spot for about 20 years. In the four-week period that ended July 8, Modelo made up 8.7% of retail beer sales in the United States, compared with Bud Light’s 6.8%, according to Nielsen IQ data analyzed by the consulting firm Bump Williams.
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Source: The New York Times
