Bud Light Marketing Vice President Alissa Heinerscheid has taken a leave of absence from the company amid ongoing controversy over the brand’s decision to bring on transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney as an ambassador.
Bud Light announced that Heinerscheid, who has been in charge of the brand since June 2022, would be replaced by Budweiser global marketing Vice President Todd Allen, according to Ad Age. In a March 23 podcast appearance, Heinerscheid said that she wanted to pivot from the brand’s traditionally “fratty” image. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Social Media Pics From Bud Light Ad Exec Who Slammed ‘Fratty’ Culture Seem Pretty 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,‘” Heinerscheid said.
🚨BREAKING: Bud Light VP of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid has taken a leave of absence amid backlash from the Dylan Mulvaney controversy
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 22, 2023
The brand’s decision to partner with Mulvaney sparked a boycott, which resulted in the company losing $6 billion in market cap. Notably, country music stars such as John Richand Travis Tritt both denounced the brand and announced they would be joining the boycott.
Bud Light initially tried to defend its partnership with Mulvaney, citing that the brand tries to connect with “audiences across various demographics” and that Mulvaney was only one of “hundreds of influencers across our brands.”
On April 14th, Budweiser CEO Brendan Whitworth responded to the controversy with a statement saying that he never intended to be a part of a divisive conversation.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” Whitworth wrote, “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”