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Bud Light marketing chief seen in NYC for first time since Dylan Mulvaney partnership debacle
Bud Light's marketing executive has broken cover for the first time after the brand lost $6billion in just six days after using trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney for their campaign.
Vice President Alissa Heinerscheid, 39, was spotted leaving her $7.5million Manhattan apartment close to Central Park – flanked by two men who appeared to be her security.
When approached for comment on the fiasco at the brewing giant by DailyMail.com on Thursday she said: 'No'.
It comes after insiders revealed that 'no one at a senior level' at Anheuser-Busch was aware of the partnership.
The decision to include Mulvaney in the campaign was taken by a 'low-level marketing staffer,' two sources close told The Daily Wire.
Alissa Heinerscheid, 39, declined to comment when asked about the Dylan Mulvaney drama at the brewing giant
The VP was spotted leaving her $7.5million Manhattan apartment close to Central Park after the backlash
The partnership was undertaken by 'some low-level marketing staffer who helps manage the hundreds of influencer engagements they do and was a 'mistake'.
Heinerscheid lives at the three-bed and three-and-a-half bath overlooking the park with her husband, Henry, 40, and three children.
She was appointed to the role in July and has been blamed for the backlash against the brand for using Mulvaney to plug the beer.
She had a brief conversation with doormen at the building before making the walk to a nearby hotel, happily chatting to two men who met her at the door.
In pictures taken by DailyMail.com the marketing executive can be seen laughing and smiling despite the backlash the company is facing.
Just days after the business hemorrhaged stock, she was seen enjoying a walk with three female companions and two children.
She grinned as they went for a walk in the park and visited the zoo before grabbing a coffee.
The decision to use Mulvaney to promote the brand was reportedly taken by a 'low-level' marketing executive, rather than a senior member of Heinerscheid's team.
Just days after the business hemorrhaged stock, she was seen enjoying a walk with three female companions and two children
Mulvaney's Instagram beer promotion saw the influencer knocking back Bud Light in the tub
In pictures taken by DailyMail.com the marketing executive can be seen laughing and smiling despite the backlash the company is facing
She had a brief conversation with doormen at the building before making the walk to a nearby hotel, happily chatting to two men who met her at the door
But Heinerschied has found herself at the middle of the storm – being blamed for the decision to hire controversial Mulvaney.
As the market opened on Friday, Anheuser-Busch stock rose by around half a percentage, and shares rose to $64.63 – up from the $63 it had hit in the wake of the announcement.
The beer giants stock roughly traded at just over five per cent decrease in the total share value and the company's market capitalization stood at $113.33billion.
Mulvaney posted several videos and images on Instagram for the paid partnership, but it is unclear exactly how much she was paid.
On March 30, Heinerschied gave an interview to a business podcast in which she said she wanted to make Bud Light less 'fratty' and more 'inclusive'.
Two days later, on April 1, Mulvaney - who began transitioning to a woman in 2021 - was unveiled as a brand partner.
Many conservative famous faces swiftly dropped Bud Light, with Kid Rock shooting at several cases of the beer and saying 'f*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day.'
Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have not responded to multiple requests for comment from DailyMail.com.
The controversial partnership saw Mulvaney promote America's bestselling beer to 11 million followers on social media in a series of sponsored posts.
Heinerscheid lives at the three-bed and three-and-a-half bath overlooking the park with her husband, Henry, 40, (pictured) and three children
It comes after insiders revealed that 'no one at a senior level' at Anheuser-Busch was aware of the partnership
Heinerscheid previously worked in AB marketing before moving to take the helm as Bud Light's vice president in July last year
The partnership was undertaken by 'some low-level marketing staffer who helps manage the hundreds of influencer engagements they do and was a 'mistake'
Her posts saw musician Kid Rock pull the beers from his bar, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt both publicly denouncing the band.
Anheuser-Busch has only made one public comment on the debacle, confirming the Bud Light cans showing Mulvaney's face were a personal gift to the influencer, and not for sale to the public.
They said: '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.'
Amid the backlash, AB's market capitalization has dropped nearly $6billion in the past 10 days, a decline of nearly 5 percent.
Bud Light gave the influencer a commemorative can of beer
Country singers Travis Tritt (left) and John Rich (right) vowed to cut ties with Anheuser-Busch over the polarizing partnership with Mulvaney
She married her husband Henry Charles Heinerscheid, a consultant in Boston with Tapestry Networks, in 2011, after working with him as a senior associate for five years at the firm before pursuing a master's in marketing later that year
Although Heinerscheid says the Bud Light brand is on the wane, it remains the flagship beer of Anheuser-Busch.
The Belgian multinational, the world's largest brewer, saw its profits rise above expectations to more than 7 per cent in the first quarter of 2023.
It reported last month its core profit - earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization - was $4.95 billion.
Heinerscheid previously worked in AB marketing before moving to take the helm as Bud Light's vice president in July last year.
Her LinkedIn profile proudly states that she is the 'first female to lead the largest beer brand in the industry.'
Heinerscheid spoke on a business podcast on March 30 to claim that the Anheuser-Busch beer had been 'in decline for a really long time' - despite it being America's number one brew with a market share of more than 13 per cent.
Alissa Heinerscheid (right), vice president of marketing for Budweiser, was seen in a series of leaked photos from 2005 at a Harvard social club event downing bottles of beer
The photos came straight from Heinerscheid's Facebook, under the album 'Isis Senior Reverse Initiation Scavenger Hunt,' before she deleted them
Alissa Heinerscheid told the Make Yourself at Home podcast on March 30 that she was convinced Bud Light must incorporate 'inclusivity, it means shifting the tone, it means having a campaign that's truly inclusive, and feels lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and to men'
The Harvard graduate declared it essential to attract more female and younger drinkers because otherwise 'there will be no future for Bud Light.'
She told the Make Yourself at Home podcast that she was convinced Bud Light must incorporate 'inclusivity, it means shifting the tone, it means having a campaign that's truly inclusive, and feels lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and to men.'
Heinerscheid claimed she had a 'super clear' mandate 'to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand.'
She criticized Bud Light's former marketing strategy as dated and male-focused – calling it a ‘hangover’.
Speaking on the podcast she said: ‘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.
‘'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''.'
Photos posted on Heinerscheid's Facebook account have since circulated showing the Bud Light VP at university blowing up condoms and chugging bottles of lager at one of many Harvard social club parties.
Bud Light's parent company has lost more than $6billion in market capitalization since announcing its partnership with Mulvaney
In the video posted last week, Kid Rock turned to the camera after shooting a case of Bud Light, raised a middle finger and declared 'F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch!'
Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney is seen arriving at a studio in Hollywood on Tuesday
Nike faced similar online backlash over a brand partnership with Mulvaney last week, but has forged ahead with social media posts and struck back at critics.
Mulvaney has hit back at her critics over the Bud Light deal, telling Rosie O’Donnell on her podcast: ‘The reason that I think I am so…I’m an easy target is because I’m so new to this.
'I think going after a trans woman that’s been doing this for like 20 years is a lot more difficult. I think maybe they think that there’s some sort of chance with me … But what is their goal?
'These people, they don’t understand me, and anything that I do or say then somehow gets taken out of context and is used against me, and it’s so sad because everything I try to put out is positive.
'It’s trying to connect with others that maybe don’t understand me. It’s to make people laugh or to make a kid feel seen.'
How Bud Light's Dylan Mulvaney debacle has left Anheuser-Busch paralyzed: Company 'never expected' backlash and is now TRAPPED as it refuses to disavow partnership OR stand up to critics, PR expert says
Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch appears to be trapped between a rock and a hard place as it grapples with polarization over its paid partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Since the controversy emerged on April 1, Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch's main social media accounts have fallen silent, despite major sporting events of the kind the brand typically chimes in on.
Aside from an initial terse statement, Anheuser-Busch has also ignored media requests on the issue. Last week, a Missouri distributor canceled an event featuring the famed Budweiser Clydesdales, citing safety concerns.
'They never expected the reaction that they got,' said Gareth Boyd, a marketing and PR expert with Forte Analytica, speaking to DailyMail.com on Thursday as an industry observer. 'Right now, if they respond and they don't get it right, they're only going to further hurt themselves.'
'I think they're probably trying to avoid talking about it, hoping and praying that it will go away, but it's probably the worst thing you could possibly do,' he added.
As the company remained on the sidelines, the controversy took on a bizarre life of its own, with musician Kid Rock posting a video of himself shooting at cases of Bud Light, and country singers John Rich and Travis Tritt publicly denouncing the brand.
Anheuser-Busch is led by US CEO Brendan Whitworth, a former Marine lieutenant, CIA officer, and Harvard Business School graduate, who joined A-B in 2014
And there has been backlash to the backlash, with shock jock Howard Stern slamming the fury at Bud Light as overblown, and podcaster Joe Rogan calling the conservative outrage over Mulvaney 'goofy.'
Behind the scenes Anheuser-Busch, there have been hints of internal turmoil and finger-pointing over fallout from the controversy.
According to sources cited by the Daily Wire, 'no one at a senior level' was aware of the Mulvaney brand partnership before it launched, and the campaign was undertaken by a 'low-level marketing staffer.'
Executives have 'paused' new marketing campaigns so they can implement a more robust vetting process for future projects, according to the report.
While media attention has focused on Bud Light VP Alissa Heinerscheid for her potential role overseeing the campaign, Boyd argued that responsibility for overseeing protocols to approve new marketing campaigns ultimately falls with the company's CEO.
Anheuser-Busch is led by US CEO Brendan Whitworth, a former Marine lieutenant, CIA officer, and Harvard Business School graduate, who joined A-B in 2014 after serving as a senior executive at Frito-Lay.
Anheuser-Busch's only comment on the matter has been a single statement confirming the Bud Light cans showing Mulvaney's face were a personal gift to the influencer, and not for sale to the public.
Competitor Molson Coors, maker of Miller and Coors beers, has seen shares rise on the week
Shares of AB InBev rose on Thursday, but are still down 3% from last week, when they hit a 52-week high
'Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics,' the statement last week 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 company added.
The statement appears to toe a fine line by avoiding direct condemnation of those who criticized the Mulvaney partnership, while also avoiding any disavowal of the partnership itself.
'They have a really big problem, and the longer they go on not actually not releasing something concrete, it's only going to get worse,' observed Boyd.
Boyd questioned whether proper contingency planning was carried out at Anheuser-Busch before launching the partnership with Mulvaney, saying it appeared the company did not have a response plan in place.
'You would have thought they would have had something saying, "okay, in a worst case scenario of backlash, what do we fall back to?"' he said.
In contrast, Nike faced similar online backlash over a brand partnership with Mulvaney last week, but has forged ahead with social media posts and struck back at critics.
Marketing experts say Nike may have been better positioned to respond decisively to the backlash, as its core customers skew younger and more liberal that Bud Light's.
'Be kind...Be inclusive,' Nike said in a pinned Instagram comment, after a flood of comments criticizing its Mulvaney deal. 'Hate speech, bullying, or other behaviors that are not in the spirit of a diverse and inclusive community will be deleted.'
Meanwhile, the Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts of Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch have remained silent since April 1, despite big events such as the NCAA Men's Basketball Final and the Masters Tournament.
Michelob Ultra, another key A-B brand, has not posted on social media since April 2.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth pictured during a meeting with AB Inbev in 2022
As the controversy drags on, questions are growing about whether Anheuser-Busch's sales will suffer meaningfully from the backlash and boycotts.
The company, based in St. Louis, is a subsidiary of Belgian multinational AB InBev, which counts the United States as its largest sales market.
The company's overall adjusted earnings rose 7.6 percent on a like-for-like basis in the fourth quarter of last year, to $4.95 billion.
Ed Mundy, an equity analyst at Jeffries, wrote in a recent note that 'it is too soon to conclude what the longer-term impact on the brand could be' from the Mulvaney controversy.
He noted that Google data showed relative search interest for 'Bud Light' peaked on April 6 at the height of the fury and has since dwindled, 'which could indicate that this could be a transitory headwind for the brand.'
Simon Hales, managing director and head of consumer staples and beverage research at Citi, in a note on Thursday called the recent pullback in AB InBev stock a potential buying opportunity.
Shares of the company dropped more than 4 percent for the week through Wednesday, after hitting 52-week highs last week. The stock rose again Thursday, gaining 1.5 percent on the day.
'Although brand volumes in some states may see some short-term headwinds, we do not believe these will be material or long lasting,' said Hales.
'Moreover, if the new messaging helps to attract Gen Z consumers to the brand, the move may well prove to be supportive for Bud Light volumes over time,' he added.
In the past, some cultural or political boycotts of consumer goods have backfired, and actually led to increased sales.
In July 2020, Goya, a large Latin food brand, faced furious backlash from liberal customers after the CEO endorsed then-President Donald Trump for re-election.
Call for a boycott dominated social media, but the sales impact was the opposite: Goya sales temporarily increased by 22 percent in the weeks immediately following, according to research at Cornell University.
However, there are at least early reports that Anheuser-Busch distributors have seen a hit to sales following the Mulvaney controversy, according to trade publication Beer Business Daily.
The outlet wrote in its report that it sought to unpack the backlash by considering things purely from 'a marketing and sales perspective' and 'ignoring the politics and social issues.'
'By Thursday afternoon, we had reached out to a handful of A-B distributors who were spooked, most particularly in the Heartland and the South, and even then in their more rural areas,' it published on Monday.
It specified that data was limited and that the Easter weekend had disrupted consumer patterns, making it harder to spot trends.
'With the very limited data from a handful of wholesalers, it appears likely Bud Light took a volume hit in some markets over the holiday weekend, particularly in rural areas, which consist of their higher share markets,' the outlet published.