Who is Alissa Heinerscheid? VP of Bud Light's marketing slammed over Dylan Mulvaney partnership
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Alissa Gordon Heinerscheid, the first woman to lead Bud Light's marketing, has caught backlash for the beermaker's decision to partner up with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney, especially after the former expressed a desire to make the brand more "inclusive" and get rid of its "fratty" reputation.
39-year-old Heinerscheid, the company's newly tapped vice president of marketing, shared her vision for the brand late last month and has since faced pushback from conservative customers. The backlash against her went into overdrive on April 3 when it was officially announced that 26-year-old Mulvaney would be working with Bud Light's marketing division moving forward.
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'I had a really clear job to do when I took over'
During a podcast appearance last month, just days before Bud Light announced its partnership with Mulvaney, Heinerscheid said the brand was on the decline when she took the helm last summer. In order to tackle the dwindling sales, the business strategist said she had a "super clear" mandate she hoped to instill in order "to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand" which she criticized for having a dated and male-focused marketing strategy.
"We had this hangover, I mean Bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty, kind of out-of-touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach," Heinerscheid said of the state of the company when she took over. "I had a really clear job to do when I took over. It was 'This brand is in decline, it's been in a decline for a really long time,'" she continued. "It’s like we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand. What does evolve and elevate mean? It means inclusivity… it means having a campaign that’s truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different. And appeals to women and to men."
Heinerscheid said she was at odds with the company's long-held approach to male-driven marketing. "Representation, isn’t it the heart of evolution?" she told host Kristin Twiford on the 'Make Yourself at Home' podcast. "We had this hangover. Bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty out-of-touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach." She further predicted, "If we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand there will be no future for." The Mulvaney partnership was announced just days later, roping in a rapidly rising influencer who has minted more than a million dollars from brand deals with Kate Spade, Crest, and InstaCart to Bud Light's stable.
Who is Alissa Heinerscheid?
Heinerscheid graduated from Wharton business school and became the first woman to lead Bud Light in its 41-year history. Since taking over the gig in July, the brand strategist has rolled out multiple ads as part of her campaign to empower women and improve business. One of the promos also featured actor Miles Teller. That said, despite being a proponent of progressive ideals, the New Yorker is reportedly a registered Republican and has a family with three young children.
She tied the knot with her husband Henry Charles Heinerscheid in 2011 after working with him as a senior associate for five years at Tapestry Networks. She landed the job after graduating from Harvard, where she studied English. Their wedding was even announced by The New York Times in May 2011. After taking the holy vows, Heinerscheid enrolled in a marketing Master's program at the $60,000 per year Wharton Business School, graduating in 2013. She has since held roles at Cheerios, Listerine, and Anheuser-Busch.
The backlash against Bud Light's promotion with Mulvaney has been well documented. A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch, which makes Bud Light, defended the decision in a statement. "Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics," they said. "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," the statement added.