A former Anheuser-Busch (AB) executive says the company is “wrong” in thinking that the controversy surrounding Dylan Mulvaney’s paid partnership with Bud Light will subside because conservative customers won’t forget the fiasco.
Anson Frericks claimed that counting on people forgetting the incident that sparked widespread anger on April 1 is a “wrong guess.”
He appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend on Fox News Sunday to discuss reports that Bud Light’s marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid has taken a leave of absence following the incident.
She will be replaced by Budweiser global marketing vice president Todd Allen, according to Proverb.
It comes after global calls for a boycott of Bud Light after transgender influencer Mulvaney promoted America’s best-selling beers to her 11 million social media followers in a series of partnered posts.
Former Anheuser-Busch CEO Anson Frericks says the company is ‘wrong’ to think the controversy surrounding Dylan Mulvaney’s paid partnership with Bud Light will subside
Frericks (right) appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend on Fox News Sunday to discuss the incident
Bud Light’s marketing vice president Alissa Heinerscheid has reportedly taken a leave of absence following the controversy
Frericks, who worked for AB for more than a decade, believes the traditionally “apolitical brand” became embroiled in controversy as investors began to force them to be accountable to “all these so-called stakeholders, political organizations, activist organizations.”
That’s the bet they’re making. I think that’s the wrong bet. And I think now is the time to go back, and for companies like Anheuser-Busch to say that, hey, moving forward for brands like Bud Light, we’re not going to be political,” he told co-host Will Cain.
“We’re not going to get involved in the environmental governance movement because that’s not what the customer wants.”
He added, “There’s a more fundamental problem right now where Anheuser-Busch has to choose who it will answer to…Will it be its shareholders?
‘Or the so-called stakeholders? Let me explain. Historically, Anheuser-Busch has been accountable to its shareholders, which are people such as firefighters, doctors, lawyers who have invested in companies like Anheuser-Busch through 401(k)s or their retirement plans.
“In recent years there have been organizations like BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard that have pushed this new model of stakeholder capitalism and have asked companies like Anheuser-Busch to be accountable to all these so-called stakeholders, political organizations, activist organizations. .
And they do that by implementing ESG or environmental social governance policies in companies asking them to get involved in these controversial issues. But alas, if you try to be everything to everyone, you end up being accountable to no one.”
According to AdAge, Heinerscheid will be replaced by Budweiser global marketing vice president Todd Allen
Dylan Mulvaney’s April 1 Instagram post said she drank a beer with her face pressed to the can and lay in a bathtub knocking Bud Light back
And Frericks urged the company to think about what their loyal consumers historically want.
He said, “What the customer wants with Bud Light is they want things that bring us together. They want humor. They want the “Dilly Dilly” guys. They want football.
“They want the things that bind us together here as equal citizens, not necessarily Bud Light getting involved in political controversies that tear us apart. Heck, this is one of the most apolitical brands out there, shared by Democrats and Republicans alike.”
Mulvaney’s Controversial Posts showed the influencer sitting in a bathtub sipping from custom Bud Light cans, showing off her face.
It sparked widespread anger with several celebrities swearing off the beer in protest.
The collaboration drew strong backlash from some quarters, with musician Kid Rock posting a video of him shooting on Bud Light cases, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt cutting ties with the brand.
But media personalities like Joe Rogan and Howard Stern defended Bud Light’s decision.
Beyond an initial succinct statement, Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, remained silent for two weeks after the controversy erupted on April 1, with the brand’s social media accounts going dormant as conservatives wept over the Mulvaney partnership.
As polarization swept through the pubs, with patrons exchanging insults and blaming each other’s beer choices, a handful of bar owners said they would stop selling Bud Light, at least temporarily, simply to avoid fights.
AB CEO Brendan Whitworth finally broke the company’s silence on April 14 in a public statement cryptically titled “Our Responsibility To America.”
“It was never our intention to be part of a discussion that divides people. Our job is to bring people together over a beer,” Whitworth said in the statement, which did not directly address the partnership with Mulvaney.
The posts, which were never shared by Bud Light or parent company Anheuser-Busch’s (AB) social media profiles, sparked widespread anger among several celebrities who swore off the beer in protest.
Behind the scenes at AB, “no one at senior level” knew about the partnership that has been dominating headlines for weeks now, and the decision to include Mulvaney in the campaign was made by a “low-level marketing executive,” two sources say. close to the situation told The Daily Wire.
That claim came despite the attention of Bud Light’s VP of marketing, Heinerscheid, for her comments in an interview days before the Mulvaney partnership, in which she said she wanted to trade the brand’s “fratty” reputation for “inclusiveness.”
But according to an insider quoted by the Daily Wire, the collaboration came about through “some low-level marketing executive who helps manage the hundreds of influencer engagements they do.”
“It was a mistake,” the person added.
Amid the backlash, AB’s market cap is down nearly $6 billion in the past 10 days, down nearly 5 percent, and the company remains silent beyond a brief statement confirming the partnership.
The disastrous marketing campaign came just days after Bud Light’s vice president said she wanted to trade the brand’s “fratty” reputation for “inclusiveness.”
Bud Light VP Alissa Heinerscheid told the Make Yourself at Home podcast on March 30 that she believed Bud Light had to have “inclusiveness,” it means setting a different tone, it means having a campaign that’s really inclusive, and lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and men’
Bud Light caused a backlash after it teamed up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. She was spotted in Los Angeles on Friday
Heinerscheid spoke on a business podcast on March 30 to claim that the AB beer was “in decline for a very long time” – despite being America’s number one brew with a market share of more than 13 percent.
The Harvard graduate stated that it is essential to attract more female and younger drinkers, otherwise there is “no future for Bud Light.”
Although the Bud Light brand is on the decline, according to Heinerscheid, it remains AB’s showpiece.
Heinerscheid previously worked in AB marketing 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. ‘
Mulvaney’s paid partnership with Nike to promote the brand’s sports bra and leggings also generated significant controversy.
She posed in a series of photos and videos in the workout gear, and furious feminists slammed Nike’s decision to give coveted sponsorship for a prominent women’s line to a transgender woman.