Bud Light Executive Defends Business Case for ‘Inclusivity’
Right-wingers lost their minds over brand's partnership with transgender celebrity
The recent partnership with a transgender social media star which caused such an uproar among those on the political right was no accident or mistake by Bud Light, according to the marketing executive behind the beer brand.
The brand from beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch created a firestorm among right-wingers who attacked the light-beer variety on social media — as in real-life by actually shooting at cans of the suds — came from a deal for Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, to promote it among her fans.
Despite the outcry from the far-right, Bud Light's embrace of Mulvaney was no mistake, according to Bud Light’s vice president of marketing.
“I am a businesswoman. I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, this brand is in decline. It has been in decline for a very long time. And if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light,” said Alissa Heinerscheid. “So I had this super clear mandate. It’s like, we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand. What I brought to that was a belief in, ‘Okay, what does evolve and elevate mean? It means 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.’
“And representation is sort of the heart of evolution. You’ve got to see people who reflect you in the work. And we had this hangover, I mean, 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,” she added.
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