Bud Light VP said she wanted to update the ‘fratty’ branding days before Dylan Mulvaney ad

Bud Light’s vice president said she wanted to update her “fratty” branding with “inclusiveness” days before Dylan Mulvaney’s partnership was revealed.

Alissa Heinerscheid spoke on a business podcast on March 30 to claim that the Anheuser-Busch beer “has been in decline for a long time” — despite being America’s number one brew with more than 13 percent market share.

The Harvard graduate stated that it was essential for the brand to attract more female and younger drinkers, otherwise there would be “no future for Bud Light.”

Heinerscheid, 39, gave her expertise just three days before a furious backlash erupted when transgender influencer Mulvaney released the Bud Light promotion on her Instagram page.

Now the company is reeling from its controversial marketing strategy and hasn’t posted anything on its official Twitter account in over a week – sparking speculation that there has been an internal stir as a result of the failed advertising campaign.

Mulvaney’s April 2 Instagram post said she drank a beer with her face pressed to the can and lay in a bathtub knocking Bud over the back

While the Bud Light brand is on the decline, Heinerscheid says, it remains the flagship product of parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev.

The Belgian multinational, the world’s largest brewer, saw its profit rise above expectations in the last quarter of 2023 to more than 7 percent.

It reported last month that its core earnings — earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization — were $4.95 billion.

Heinerscheid previously worked as a marketing guru at AB InBev before taking over as vice president of Bud Light in July last year.

Her LinkedIn profile proudly states that she is the “first woman to lead the largest beer brand in the industry.”

She told the Make Yourself at Home podcast that she believed Bud Light had to incorporate “inclusivity,” it means a shift in tone, it means having a campaign that’s really inclusive, and feels lighter and brighter and different, and attractive to women and men. ‘

Heinerscheid claimed she had a “super clear” mandate to “evolve and take this incredibly iconic brand to the next level.”

She criticized Bud Light’s former marketing strategy as dated and male-oriented.

“We were hungover. I mean, Bud Light had been kind of an antics, a little bit of callous humor, and it was really important that we took a different approach,” the Wharton graduate argued.

Asked by the host what she brought to the table at Bud Light, Heinerscheid said, “I had a very clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was ‘This brand is in decline, it’s been in decline for a very long time. for a long time, and if we don’t attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there is no future for it.’

Heinerscheid previously worked at Johnson and Johnson as a brand manager for Listerine mouthwash. Before that, she was on Cheerios’ marketing team.

She was educated at the $60,000 a year Groton School in Massachusetts before attending Harvard, where she studied English literature, and then business school at Wharton, where she earned a master’s degree in marketing.

The decision to partner with Mulvaney angered many loyal customers, including country singer Travis Tritt, who decided to pull all produce from his tour bus and Kid Rock, who shot at several boxes of Bud Light.

The beer giant’s latest tweet came on April 1, when they posted, “Beers on us? Must be playtime. For a chance to win, encourage your team with #EasyToEnjoySweepstakes in the answers.’

While they haven’t tweeted for a few days in the past, the official Twitter account is usually active, as are their other regular social channels.

Alissa Heinerscheid told the Make Yourself at Home podcast on March 30 that she believed Bud Light had to contain “inclusiveness,” it means setting a different tone, it means having a campaign that’s really inclusive, feels lighter and brighter and different and appeal to women. and for men.’

The transgender influencer isn’t Bud’s first foray into Wake. In 2019, it unveiled these rainbow bottles for the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York

The feed had tweeted 10 times in the past seven days and is usually active during major sporting events such as the Master’s golf tournament over the weekend.

Considering the partnership with Mulvaney was revealed during March Madness, the annual NCAA basketball tournament, it’s notable that the brewer didn’t tweet at all during the University of Connecticut’s victory over San Diego State in the championship game on April 3.

Mulvaney’s April 2 Instagram post said she drank a beer with her face pressed onto the can and lay in a bathtub knocking Bud over the back.

The Instagram video currently has more than 11,000 comments, many of which are unhappy with the promotion.

A spokesperson for the company that makes Bud Light said, “Anheuser-Busch partners with hundreds of influencers from our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across different demographics.

“From time to time we produce unique commemorative tins for fans and for brand influencers, such as Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative tin was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”