Top Anheuser-Busch marketing executive is leaving after collapse in Bud Light sales
The top Anheuser-Busch marketing executive, Andy Goeler, is leaving Anheuser-Busch InBev following a significant drop in Bud Light sales. Goeler had been with Anheuser-Busch since 2014. Prior to that, Goeler worked in marketing for MillerCoors.
Since Goeler took over as vice president of Bud Light and Michelob Ultra in 2016, Bud Light’s market share has been in decline. It dropped 4.8 percent in 2020, according to Nielsen data.
Goeler and his team had taken significant steps to try and turn the fortunes around. These included creating bold TV ads, launching new packaging initiatives and creating a comprehensive marketing strategy that focused on the multi-year “Bud Light Legends” campaign.
The departure of Goeler comes as Anheuser-Busch faces an increasingly competitive landscape, with craft brewers and the hard seltzer category growing in popularity. It is unclear what plans, if any, have been made for a replacement. However, it is likely that the company will be looking for someone with extensive experience in the beverage industry to help turn around the declining sales of Bud Light.