The senior marketing executive behind Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney has taken a leave of absence, according to a new report from AdAge.
Prior to the partnership with Mulvaney, VP of marketing Alissa Heinerscheid was seen on a podcast calling Bud Light “out of touch” and “fratty.”
"I'm a businesswoman, I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was 'This brand is in decline, it's been in a decline for a really long time, and if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand there will be no future for Bud Light,'" said Heinerscheid, who had been in her role at the company since June. "We had this hangover, I mean, Bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty, kind of out-of-touch humor and it was really important that we had another approach."
The decision to partner with Mulvaney and send the trans activist custom cans with his face on them to celebrate “365 days of girlhood,” resulted in a massive boycott, with Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch reportedly losing more than $5 billion in market cap.
The leadership "shakeup" is just the latest development in the Bud Light saga.
Alissa Heinerscheid, marketing VP for the brand since June 2022, has taken a leave of absence, the brewer confirmed, and will be replaced by Todd Allen, who was most recently global marketing VP for Budweiser.
The brewer has also streamlined its marketing function to reduce layers “so that our most senior marketers are more closely connected to every aspect of our brand’s activities,” a company spokesperson said in a statement, adding that “these steps will help us maintain focus on the things we do best: brewing great beer for all consumers, while always making a positive impact in our communities and on our country.”
The statement noted that “we communicated some next steps with our internal teams and wholesaler partners,” adding that “we made it clear that the safety and welfare of our employees and our partners is our top priority.” (AdAge)
Bud Light VP of Marketing believed to be the person responsible for the Dylan Mulvaney partnership has been replaced in her role at the beer brand.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 22, 2023
Alissa Heinerscheid who uses she/her pronouns and spoke about the brand becoming more ‘inclusive’ and dropping its ‘fratty’ image… pic.twitter.com/FqLSXMU5mB
Anheuser-Busch was silent in the days following the backlash, but CEO Brendan Whitworth ultimately released a statement on April 14 saying the company “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.” There was no mention of Mulvaney, however, or an apology.
The latest news was celebrated on Twitter.
The Bud Light executive who came up with the Dylan Mulvaney campaign is now gone from the company. I told you this boycott was working. We got actual results. A victory for Team Sanity.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 22, 2023
Corporate America, are you paying attention? One woke marketing employee named Alissa Heinerscheid wiped out customer loyalty to a major brand. Go woke, go broke.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) April 22, 2023
Bud Light waves the white flag, ousting disastrous VP of Mktg, weeks after destroying its own brand by going woke on gender.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) April 22, 2023
Let that be a lesson to other corporations.
We’ve HAD IT. https://t.co/KdB3mF4eBH