Bud Light Executive Alissa Heinerscheid Faces Extreme Heat for Dylan Mulvaney Partnership

While you might not have heard of Alissa Heinerscheid, there's a good chance you've heard of Dylan Mulvaney. Early in April, when transgender activist Mulvaney promoted Bud Light in social media posts, the beer brand's fan base erupted. So, who is Alissa Heinerscheid and how does she play a role in the controversy?

Heinerscheid, a Wharton graduate, is the vice president of marketing at Bud Light, which is an iconic beer brand. Since the Bud Light partnership with Mulvaney was revealed, plenty of former Bud Light drinkers have criticized the company for its move. Here's what we know about Heinerscheid and the brands partnership with Mulvaney.

Before the Bud Light partnership with Mulvaney sparked outrage from conservatives and beer drinkers, Heinerscheid was a successful marketing executive that those outside her industry might never have heard of. She has only been vice president of marketing at Bud Light since mid-2022, reported Newsweek.

Heinerscheid graduated from Harvard University and later from Wharton Business School. She has held positions at companies including General Mills (representing Cheerios), Johnson & Johnson (representing Listerine), and Anheuser-Busch or AB InBev, Bud Light's parent company.

In the summer of 2022, Heinerscheid was appointed vice president of marketing at Bud Light, where she was tasked with overhauling the beer brand's image. Together with her team, she led a recent ad featuring actor Miles Teller, as well as the 'Bud Light Carry' ad showing a woman carrying a tray of full beers without a spill.

Heinerscheid married Henry Charles Heinerscheid in 2011, with whom she had worked at Tapestry Networks for five years after completing her undergraduate degree. Together they have three children. The Daily Mail also reports that despite her work demonstrating somewhat "progressive" ideals, she was a registered Republican as of 2016.

The marketing executive gave an interview on the "Make Yourself At Home" podcast in March, saying that Bud Light was a brand in decline, and her job was to help "evolve and elevate" the brand. She also said that "inclusivity" was a big part of evolution, as well as "shifting the tone" and appealing more to women as well as men.

Fans of the beer brand revolted almost instantly after the first Mulvaney sponsored posts for Bud Light appeared. Kid Rock posted a video of him shooting down cans of Bud Light, shouting expletives, and calling for a boycott of the brand. Social media channels are filled with individuals who are irate about the promotion of transgender lifestyles.

One Facebook user posted: "All the other beer companies are thanking you today." Someone else commented, "All INBEV and Anheuser products boycotted." Many are upset about transgender lifestyles being "forced" upon them through advertising and vowing to avoid Bud Light from now on.

Other Mulvaney partner brands including Nike and Kate Spade have drawn fierce criticism and calls for boycotts as well.

Although Heinerscheid made several public statements prior to the Mulvaney fiasco about plans to bring more inclusivity to the brand, she apparently wasn't the main person behind it. According to The Daily Wire, the choice was made by a "low-level marketing staffer" and not by Heinerscheid or her team.

One source said, "No one at a senior level was aware this was happening," referring to Mulvaney's Instagram posts. That source continued, saying "It’s a shame because they have a well-earned reputation for just being America’s beer — not a political company. It was a mistake.”

Plenty of professionals on LinkedIn have lambasted Heinerscheid for failing to know her brand's target consumer when partnering with Mulvaney. Robert Simkavitz, Chief Technology Officer of Newline USA, stated, "Bud Light vice president of marketing Alissa Heinerscheid has succeeded in killing sales of Bud Light in most of the United States. Who said one person can’t make a difference?"

Mulvaney's sponsored posts featuring Bud Light had a tangible impact on the brand's value in the market. Shares dropped dramatically, with The Daily Mail saying it lost $6 billion of its market capitalization and FOX reporting it had lost roughly $5 billion in share value. Currently, the market cap is about $112 billion.