Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch’s mainstream brands, has taken a leave of absence following the backlash from the Dylan Mulvaney Bud Light advertising campaign.
As Breitbart News reported, Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid had already taken a leave of absence for her role in pushing the ad featuring transgender Dylan Mulvaney.
Now it appears her boss Daniel Blake has joined her.
“Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support,” an Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal. “Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence.”
Sources indicated the two executives did not take a voluntary leave of absence and “AB InBev named another executive to replace” Heinerscheid.
“Mr. Blake, who oversees marketing for Budweiser and Bud Light, has worked at Anheuser-Busch for nearly nine years. The company didn’t announce a replacement for Mr. Blake,” noted WSJ. “The brewer said Friday that Todd Allen, most recently global vice president of Budweiser, would take over Ms. Heinerscheid’s role.”
Bud Light Vice President of Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid had already taken a leave of absence for her role in pushing the ad featuring transgender Dylan Mulvaney (Lars Niki/Getty Images for Change for Kids)
Heinerscheid came under scrutiny following the Dylan Mulvaney ad after video surfaced of her on a podcast earlier this year that she aimed to shift Bud Light away from its “fratty” base.
“I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light. It was, this brand is in decline, it’s been in 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,” she said.
Heinerscheid said the brand reimagining meant “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.”
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the company “never meant to be part of a discussion that divides people” in a lengthy statement published last week.
Anheuser-Busch distributors across America’s heartland and the South are “spooked” by public backlash to a Bud Light campaign promoting transgenderism, an industry insider reported. https://t.co/MN6Qb7frUV
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 11, 2023
“As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew,” Whitworth wrote, adding that the company has “a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.”
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” the statement continued. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
Mulvaney responded to the backlash on an episode of the iHeartMedia podcast Onward with Rosie O’Donnell, saying he has become an “easy target” because he is “still new to this.”
“I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is a lot more difficult,” said Mulvaney.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or VIMEO On Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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