TheQuartering [4/24/2023]
The Bud Light marketing executive whose team oversaw its disastrous partnership with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney has taken a leave of absence, according to a report on Friday.
Alissa Heinerscheid was hired to overhaul Bud Light’s marketing in June 2022 with the vision of freshening up its image.
But that took a disastrous turn on April 1 when the partnership with Mulvaney was announced, sparking a boycott and knocking $6 billion from the company’s value.
Heinerscheid is being replaced by the vice president of global marketing for Budweiser, Todd Allen, according to Ad Age.
DailyMail.com has approached Bud Light for comment.
Heinerscheid’s team was responsible for Bud Light’s widely-lauded Super Bowl ad featuring Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh Sperry, and ‘the Bud Light Carry’ ad, which shows a woman carrying a round of beers to a table of friends without spilling a drop.
Those ads were part of Heinerscheid’s vision to make the brand more female friendly – something she has described as a ‘passion point’.
But that vision was swiftly cut down on April 3 with the brand’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a controversial trans activist with a mass following on social media, which proved to be a step too far for Bud Light’s loyal customers.
Kid Rock was among the first to criticize the partnership and lead a boycott, with other conservative consumers, distributors and suppliers following suit.
Heinerscheid has not commented on the scandal.
A graduate of Wharton business school, she has been hailed in interviews as the first woman to ‘lead’ Bud Light in its 41-year history.
On March 30, in an interview with the Make Yourself at Home podcast, she told of her strategy to ditch Bud Light’s ‘fratty’ reputation and embrace inclusivity to attract a young generation of drinkers.
‘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,’ she said.
‘It’s been in 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.
‘So I had this super clear mandate. It’s like we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand.