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(Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram)
It was inevitable in light of the fallout from the Bud Light Trans controversy. Heads had to roll. But even this announcement reflects the political tightrope that Anheuser-Busch has been walking.
Here’s the deal…
Clearly these are polarizing times and Bud Light is continuing to face a backlash following its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer whose image was put on a Bud Light beer can to celebrate “365 Days of Girlhood.”
Bud Light’s decision to showcase the Trans Tik Tok activist on a special can spurred a Boycott Bud Light! online campaign, a video of Kid Rock shooting up a bunch of bud light beer cans that went viral, a huge surge in online interest in the Samuel Adams Beer and continuing repercussions for the #1 brewer in the US.
On Friday CNN reported that an Anheuser-Busch brewery in California had received a bomb threat…
“The safety of our employees is always our top priority,” the company spokesperson said in a statement to CNN . “We worked quickly with local law enforcement to ensure the security of our people and our facilities.”
(Bud Light VP Alissa Heinerscheid: Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)
And now, AdAge is reporting that Alissa Heinerscheid, the senior marketing executive behind the controversial Dylan Mulvaney ad campaign has taken a “leave of absence” and being replaced by Budweiser global marketing VP Todd Allen.
Like we’ve said, heads were destined to roll…
“Heinerscheid has led the brand since June, according to the NY Post. “ It’s unclear if her replacement will be permanent.
But how many of you think that Bud Light’s VP of Marketing chose to step away on her own or that she would have been fired if it the company could have without igniting yet another firestorm?
Again these are difficult and polarizing times…
A day before Mulvaney announced the partnership with the trans activist, Heinerscheid discussed her work with Bud Light on the Make Yourself At Home podcast where she explained her mission to move the brand beyond its “fratty” and “out of touch” image to a beer company that embraces inclusivity.
“I’m a businesswoman, I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light,” Heinerscheid said. “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. ‘”
But for now Heinerscheid’s mission has come to an end.
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