The two top Anheuser-Busch marketing executives who were placed on leave amid the company shakeup no longer work for the brand, a source inside Anheuser-Busch confirmed in texts obtained by the Daily Caller on Tuesday.
Group Vice President for Marketing Daniel Blake and Bud Light Marketing Vice President Alissa Heinerscheid are “gone gone,” according to obtained text messages with a current regional head of marketing. The Caller is granting anonymity to the source to discuss legally fraught internal company policy.
“To my understanding if we publicly announced the word ‘fire’ it opens up the potential for them to sue us. Thats why we said leave of absence,” the source said in a text message obtained by the Caller.
“The wholesalers would have had an absolute HAY DAY with leadership if they didn’t remove her,” the source inside the company also said.
“To be fair- Daniel Blake was actually awesome. I think he was just caught in cross fire. But also he did hire her… so that’s a fault,” the source continued.
“Wholesalers were told they are both gone for good by leadership during in person conversations. They already shifted all their direct reports to new people and the head of marketing,” the source added in another text message obtained by the Caller.
Earlier in June, Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch opened an email the Caller sent asking for specifics about Blake and Heinerscheid but did not reply. The Caller specifically asked whether the two were still on leave, whether they were on paid leave or unpaid leave and whether they would be returning to work if they hadn’t yet. The company was given multiple days to respond to the deadline. (RELATED: Anheuser-Busch Silent On Employment Status Of Top Marketing Executives)
Bud Light has faced heavy criticism and lost its spot as America’s top-selling beer in early June due to a boycott that began after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney showed off a personalized beer can featuring the influencer’s face. (RELATED: REPORT: Bud Light Marketing Exec Who Slammed ‘Fratty’ Culture On Leave Of Absence Amid Company Shakeup)
(Daily Caller Obtained) — Alissa Gordon Heinerscheid/Screenshot/Facebook
Bud Light also released a can featuring a rainbow design and the words “celebrate everyone’s identity,” with different pronouns printed on the bottle.
Heinerscheid, the 39-year-old who allegedly lives in an $8 million apartment close to Central Park, appeared on a podcast in late March to promote Bud Light’s new marketing. She said the company needed to update its “fratty” image and change its “out-of-touch humor.” (RELATED: Bud Light Is No Longer America’s Top-Selling Beer)
The Caller obtained leaked images in April that showed Heinerscheid partaking in the same behavior she seemed to be criticizing during a Harvard social club event.
The photos were obtained from a source who had screenshots of the album on Alissa Gordon Heinerscheid’s Facebook page. The album was named “Isis Senior Reverse Initiation Scavenger Hunt” and included photos of Heinerscheid and others drinking and holding condoms up to their mouths. A 2005 article in the Harvard Crimson describes the university’s Isis Club as a “haven of inebriated ditzes.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Social Media Pics From Bud Light Ad Exec Who Slammed ‘Fratty’ Culture Seem Pretty Fratty)
Reports circulated shortly thereafter that Heinerscheid had taken a leave of absence from the company, and Blake took a leave of absence not long after.
“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence, which we support,” an Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal. “Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence.”
The Caller reached out to Anheuser-Busch’s media contact multiple times about Blake and Heinerscheid no longer working for the company, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Update: 3:35pm ET: After the given deadline, Anheuser-Busch reached out with the following statement and did not address any of the questions asked by the Caller:
“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support. In the interest of our employees’ safety and privacy, we’re not providing any additional information. Daniel is taking a leave of absence. In the interest of our employees’ safety and privacy, we’re not providing any additional information,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said.
