First came the discounts to former customers. Now Bud Light is trying to pass some of those savings on to its distributors in a desperate bid to keep the suds flowing.
According to the New York Post, parent company Anheuser-Busch has set aside up to $150 million in incentive payments for distributors and retailers who pledge to keep Bud Light on their shelves through the spring. The latest handout builds on a program launched earlier this summer when Bud Light was in the height of its cancellation by conservatives over its partnership with transgender influencer Dylvan Mulvaney.
“I imagine for those that are having some cash flow concerns, this would help somewhat,” one distributor told The Post.
In addition, Anheuser-Busch is launching a “market share recovery incentive” program beginning in the second half of next year, according to a memo from Anheuser-Busch’s chief commercial officer Kyle Norrington and originally reported by Beer Marketer’s Insights. No further details about the program were immediately available.