Two Anheuser-Busch InBev executives who oversaw Bud Light’s marketing collaboration with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney have been fired, the company he said the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.
Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, and her boss, Daniel Blake, Budweiser’s group vice president of marketing, faced criticism and even death threats earlier this month after sending the ‘social media influencer commemorative Bud Light cans with their image to promote a company raffle.
Both executives have now taken leaves of absence, the company said in an email to the Journal.
“Under the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesman said in the email. “Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence.”
“It was not voluntary”
The decision to go on leave “was not voluntary” by the executives, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Todd Allen, Budweiser’s former global vice president, will take on the role of Bud Light’s vice president of marketing in Heinerscheid’s place, Ad Age reported. reported.
On April 1, Mulvaney posted a sponsored Instagram video of himself drinking a Bud Light for a marketing campaign celebrating the end of March Madness. In the video, Mulvaney shares a photo of a Bud Light can with her face on it celebrating her “365 Days of Childhood” series on TikTok documenting her gender transition. In the post, he calls the commemorative tin “possibly the best gift ever.”
The post shot up outrage among some Bud Light fans, prompting calls to boycott the brand. Rapper and singer Kid Rock joined the fray with an Instagram video of himself wearing a MAGA hat and shooting Bud Light cans with an automatic rifle.
After the uproar, Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Brendan Whitworth on April 14 issued a statement in which he lamented the division caused by the company’s collaboration with Mulvaney, although he did not directly refer to the promotion.
“We never wanted to be part of a discussion that divides people,” the CEO wrote. “We’re in the business of bringing people together for a beer.”
Anheuser-Busch InBev did not respond to a CBS MoneyWatch request for comment.
Cosmetics company Maybelline, which partnered with Mulvaney in a short video last month, is facing its own backlash, with strong commentators calling for a boycott the company.
Mulvaney has become a target of ire from conservatives, some of whom are railing against the influencer’s brand of collaborations to express anger over transgender rights.
From “fratty” to inclusive
Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney was part of a larger initiative by the beer brand to “evolve” its marketing strategy. According to comments Heinerscheid made on the “Make Yourself At Home” podcast earlier this month, Bud Light has traditionally targeted “fratty” men in its marketing campaigns and wanted to be more “inclusive.”
“He had this very clear mandate. It’s like we have to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand,” Heinerscheid said on the podcast. “It means having a campaign that’s really inclusive and looks lighter and brighter and different, and [that] appeals to women and men”.
Since controversy erupted over the Mulvaney link, Bud Light’s sister brands have moved away from that inclusive tone. On April 14, Budweiser, another brand owned by AB InBev, tweeted at stylish new ad with patriotic undertones and his pet Clydesdale horse.
Support for transgender representation
Transgender activists hope other brands will continue to associate with transgender people despite the backlash Bud Light faced from “a small number of anti-LGBTQ activists,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate said Ellis, on CBS MoneyWatch.
“When brands authentically represent LGBTQ people, it reflects the world around us and improves the brand’s reputation among all consumers, especially younger consumers.”
Shares of AB InBev took a brief hit from the backlash, but have since recovered, trading near $66 a share on Monday. The brewery, which also owns beer brands such as Corona and Stella Artois, is up nearly 4% in the past month and is up about 11% over the past year.
