Bud Light's marketing leadership undergoes shakeup after Dylan Mulvaney controversy

Anheuser-Busch InBev has changed marketing leadership for Bud Light in the wake of controversy over the brand sending a can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney with her face on it.

Alissa Heinerscheid, marketing VP for the brand since June 2022, has taken a leave of absence, the brewer confirmed, and will be replaced by Todd Allen, who was most recently global marketing VP for Budweiser.

Heinerscheid did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Also read: What brands can learn from the Bud Light controversy

The brewer has also streamlined its marketing function to reduce layers “so that our most senior marketers are more closely connected to every aspect of our brand’s activities,” a company spokesperson said in a statement, adding that “these steps will help us maintain focus on the things we do best: brewing great beer for all consumers, while always making a positive impact in our communities and on our country.”

The statement noted that “we communicated some next steps with our internal teams and wholesaler partners,” adding that “we made it clear that the safety and welfare of our employees and our partners is our top priority.” 

Beer Business Daily first reported the news.

Bud Light erupted into controversy after Mulvaney showed off a Bud Light can with her face on it in an April 1 Instagram post, striking a nerve among conservatives including musicians Travis Tritt and Kid Rock. The controversy appears to have impacted sales, with Bud Light cases down 10.7% for the week ended April 8, according to Beer Business Daily.

Heinerscheid was dragged into the controversy when remarks she had made about changing Bud Light’s marketing in a podcast surfaced in news reports about the Mulvaney post. In the podcast, which was recorded before the controversy, Heinerscheid denounced Bud Light’s previous marketing as “fratty” and “out of touch” and suggested the brand could use more inclusivity. 

According to a statement from City Distributors, a Topeka, Kans.-based Anheuser-Busich distributor, the custom can decision “circumvented the proper approval channels.”

Anheuser-Busch was silent on the matter for two weeks before issuing a statement on April 14 from CEO Brendan Whitworth, who wrote that “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”