Bud Light Executive Behind Transgender Influencer Campaign Taking ‘Leave of Absence’
The Bud Light-Dylan Mulvaney partnership quickly brought an onslaught of criticism from people who said they’re angry about the world going ‘woke.’
The marketing executive who oversaw a partnership between Bud Light and a transgender influencer is taking a leave of absence after it snowballed into cries for boycotts from some angry customers, according to media reports.
Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, will be replaced by the global vice president of Budweiser, Todd Allen, according to reports from Beer Business Daily and Ad Age.
A representative for Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, on Saturday did not directly confirm the leave of absence but said Mr. Allen as vice president of Bud Light will report directly to the U.S. chief marketing officer, Benoit Garbe.
In a statement to clients, according to Beer Business Daily, the company said Ms. Heinerscheid had been in the post for less than a year. “The safety and welfare of our employees and partners is our top priority,” the statement said. “We have also made some adjustments to streamline our marketing function to reduce layers so that our most senior marketers are more closely connected to every aspect of our brands’ activities.”
The partnership between the blue-emblazoned beer brand and Dylan Mulvaney, who has more than 10.8 million followers on social media, hit the internet on April 1. That’s when Ms. Mulvaney posted a video on Instagram showing herself cracking open a can of Bud Light, one with the hashtag #budlightpartner.
Earlier this month, Bud Light said, “Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.”
But the Bud Light-Mulvaney partnership quickly brought an onslaught of criticism from people who said they’re angry about the world going “woke.” Musician Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting cans of Bud Light with a rifle.
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s stock that trades in the United States is down 1.8 percent since the online influencer’s April 1 video. The stock is still up 9.1 percent for the year so far, however, more than the broader stock market, as measured by the S&P 500.
