Anheuser-Busch has fired two marketing executives who were placed on leave after destroying the Bud Light brand with an advertising campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
According to the Daily Caller, Group VP for Marketing Daniel Blake, and Bud Light Marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid are "gone, gone" after initially being placed on leave, per an anonymous source.
"To my understanding if we publicly announced the word ‘fire’ it opens up the potential for them to sue us. Thats why we said leave of absence," said the source in a text message to the Caller. "The wholesalers would have had an absolute HAY DAY with leadership if they didn’t remove her." (Or maybe a field day?)
"To be fair- Daniel Blake was actually awesome. I think he was just caught in cross fire. But also he did hire her… so thats a fault," the source continued.
"Wholesalers were told they are both gone for good by leadership during in person conversations. They already shifted all their direct reports to new people and the head of marketing," they said.
Earlier in June, Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch opened an email the Caller sent asking for specifics about Blake and Heinerscheid but did not reply. The Caller specifically asked whether the two were still on leave, whether they were on paid leave or unpaid leave and whether they would be returning to work if they hadn’t yet. The company was given multiple days to respond to the deadline.
Bud Light has faced heavy criticism and lost its spot as America’s top-selling beer in early June due to a boycott that began after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney showed off a personalized beer can featuring the influencer’s face. -Daily Caller
One Anheuser-Busch distributor told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, "Our year is screwed" because of slumping sales and since they don't carry Modelo, which has taken the top spot.
For the week ending June 3, Bud Light sales were still down 24%, while Modelo Especial was up 12%. The latest numbers follow Memorial Day weekend images shared on social media showing desperate retailers marking 18-packs of Bud Light all the way down to just $2.99.
Betting on a new ad campaign to stop the bleeding is a gamble. Dave Williams, vice president of consumer insights and analytics at Bump Williams, told USA Today this week that Bud Light faces further declines and Modelo will continue to take market share nationwide.
Bud Light has an uphill battle to regain its customer base after abandoning them for a clownish trans-TikTok star. The damage seems irreversible as many beer drinkers have realized the light beer is 'piss water masquerading as beer.'
