Bud Light's marketing VP was inspired to modernize the 'fratty' 'out of touch' branding
In a recent interview, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing highlighted how she was motivated to modernize the beer company’s “fratty” and “out of touch” humor with inclusivity.
On March 30, Alissa Heinerscheid spoke with the podcast “Make Yourself At Home” about her work in modernizing the Bud Light brand.
“I’m a businesswoman, I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was ‘This brand is in decline, it’s been in a decline for a really long time, and if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand there will be no future for Bud Light,‘” Heinerscheid said.
Bud Light marketing VP confirms the company has gone all in on wokeness!
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After Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch faced backlash for working with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, Heinerscheid’s comments went viral. The beer company sparked outrage earlier this month when it sent Mulvaney custom-made cans depicting the influencer’s likeness in honor of her “365 Days of Girlhood.” Mulvaney described the cans as her “most prized possession” in an Instagram image with the hashtag “#budlightpartner.” As part of the promotion, Mulvaney was shown drinking a Bud Light beer in a bathtub.
She went on to say that she was given a “super clear” mission to “evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand.” She stated that she “brought” to the brand a “belief” that to progress and elevate needs to embrace “inclusivity, shifting the tone, having a campaign that’s truly inclusive, and feels lighter, brighter, and different, and appeals to both women and men.”
Bud Light
“Representation is sort of at the heart of evolution,” Heinerscheid said, “you have to see people who reflect you in work.”
She then slammed Bud Light’s previous branding efforts.
“We had this hangover because Bud Light had been a brand of fratty, out-of-touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach,” she explained.
Anheuser Busch faced anger as a result of Mulvaney’s statements, but the beer firm defended the connection.
“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics. From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told Fox News.
Heinerscheid previously stated in an interview with Forbes that “female representation is a personal passion point of mine.”
Bud Light’s associated social media accounts have been silent since the scandal erupted. Bud Light hasn’t posted to its 377,000 Instagram followers since March 30, while the brand’s 311,000 Twitter followers haven’t seen anything since April 1. Furthermore, the beer company has not posted to its nearly 7.5 million Facebook fans since March 30.
Brian Flood helped with this story.
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