Bud Light marketing VP takes leave of absence in wake of pathetic transphobic backlash over Dylan Mulvaney ad
The marketing VP of Bud Light has reportedly taken a leave of absence following a bigoted backlash over the brand’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.
Bud Light’s marketing vice-president has reportedly stepped back from her role following the bigoted backlash from right-wingers over the company’s partnership with trans social media star Dylan Mulvaney.
Alissa Heinerscheid, who was a major target of ire by conservative trolls and transphobes, has taken a leave of absence, marketing and advertising magazine Ad Age reported on Friday (21 April).
Mere days before right-wingers vowed to boycott the brand for working with influencer and Broadway actor Mulvaney, best known for her ‘Days of Girlhood’ TikTok series, Heinerscheid told the Make Yourself At Home podcast that she wanted the beer brand to move beyond its “fratty” reputation.
She described Bud Light as being associated with “fratty, kind of out-of-touch humour” and said “it was really important we had another approach” because otherwise, “there would be no future for Bud Light”.
“Representation is the heart of evolution, you’ve got to see people [who] reflect you,” she added.
Since Dylan Mulvaney posted a video to Instagram on 1 April showcasing a personalised beer can for March Madness, Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch have been at the centre of a social media firestorm.
Clearly unable to handle a trans woman promoting a beer brand, bigots have conducted incredibly public tantrums, with musician and Trump supporter Kid Rock videoing himself unloading an assault weapon’s magazine into boxes of Bud Light cans, and a self-described “conservative dad” launching his own brand of “100 per cent woke free beer” – that he’s reportedly having a hard time finding anyone to actually make.
Budweiser facilities across the US have been the targets of bomb threats and a viral TikTok video on Tuesday (18 April), showed a man violently destroying shelves of beers in a Topeka, Kansas, Walmart. He has been identified as Dustin Cain.
In a press briefing on Thursday (20 April), White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the violent backlash, saying: “When a transgender American posts a video about a brand of beer they enjoy and it leads to bomb threats, it’s clear that the level of violence and vitriol against transgender Americans has to stop.”
Dylan Mulvaney, who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram and 10.8 million followers on TikTok, has also faced a wave of hate for her partnership with Nike, as bigots went into meltdown once more over a paid post of the influencer in Nike Women’s leggings and a sports bra.
Despite right-wing babies calling for boycotts of the brand, Anheuser-Busch’s share prices have reportedly hit record highs. It’s also worth noting that Bud Light has been a sponsor of Candadian Pride for more than 20 years – and that LGBTQ+ representation in marketing is ultimately very profitable.
Alissa Heinerscheid is tipped to be replaced by Budweiser Global Marketing vice-president Todd Allen.
