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If you happened to be wondering if anyone at Bud Light will be losing their job over the recent decision to partner with Dylan Mulvaney, the answer is likely no, unless the bottom line becomes so terrible that it’s impossible to ignore.
The reason why? It turns out that this was the plan of Vice President of Marketing Alissa Gordon Heinerscheid. Apparently, she broadcasted her intentions during an interview recently, which is now being circulated around Twitter. According to Heinerscheid, the Bud Light brand has been “in decline.” The Bud Light Super Bowl ad from just a couple of months ago doesn’t seem to convey that concern, as it was actually pretty cute and seemed to promote the brand without taking a massive left turn.
But what Heinerscheid is really concerned about is… inclusivity!!! THAT’S what has been missing from Bud Light marketing campaigns!
Holy shit, Bud Light’s head of marketing — who probably doesn’t even drink beer — says she had to rescue Bud Light’s brand from its frat guy party image by paying chicks with dicks to be more inclusive. pic.twitter.com/jsIzrVE2iw
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) April 9, 2023
Heinerscheid’s comments were transcribed by Outkick.
I’m a businesswoman. I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and 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. So I had this super clear mandate. It’s like we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand.”
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 it 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.”
Let’s fisk Heinerscheid’s comments a bit. By her own admission, Bud Light is a well-known brand that isn’t doing well, and her job is to “attract” new and younger demographics to start buying their beer. But why do “young drinkers” buy Bud Light? It isn’t winning taste tests. It’s because of the price (it’s not expensive) and the accessibility (it’s everywhere, from Walmart to Costco). Wouldn’t those two factors be the thing for the marketing department to pick up on and really push? Nope, Heinerscheid sees the chance to “evolve and elevate” Bud Light. Which means… bring on the Corporate Equality Index scores! Bud Light is going to buy itself some social media and corporate equality cred by… hiring a man cosplaying as a ditzy stereotype of a woman to drink Bud Light while wearing opera gloves. Wow, I don’t know about you, but does hiring Dylan Mulvaney feel “lighter and brighter and different”? Not really! It’s certainly not “different,” seeing as SO MANY BRANDS are throwing money at this guy. What about Dylan Mulvaney “appeals to women and to men”? As a women, I find his LARPing offensive. Would a man drink a beer with Mulvaney? Hmmmm.
Heinerschied then goes into a lot of social equality gobbledygook, and then points to an actual demographic as the problem: frat boys. The brand has spent too much time appealing to broke college students who are looking to get a cheap buzz, and THAT is the image they are trying to shed. Well, I have a feeling that the college students – those “young drinkers” that Heinerschied is so anxious to make into regular consumers – aren’t going to find this new inclusive appeal strong enough to make them buy Bud Light. And what about all the older drinkers who have zero interest in CEI scores and Audrey Hepburn impersonators?
JUST IN: Anheuser-Busch affiliate, whose primary sales is bud light says NO ONE IS BUYING THE PRODUCTS and when this happens he can’t feed his family..
“They DON’T KNOW their clientele… “Thanks, Anheuser-Busch.”
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) April 8, 2023
Now, only time is going to tell whether the bottom line is actually impacted by real consumers. The fact that Bud Light has gone quiet on social media is interesting, but I want to see actual sales numbers before saying that there is real panic behind the scenes. But Heinerscheid’s comments are reflective of what a lot of companies are doing right now. They aren’t trying to appeal to their target demographic – they are trying to preach at their target demographic, and sell them on the idea that buying their product will show off their “inclusivity” or “allyship” or whatever social cause du jour is getting the most attention. Buying our product will make you a better person! They’re not selling a product anymore; they’re selling personal “evolution.” Sorry, I don’t think a lot of people are going to believe that they have become “inclusive” just because they bought Bud Light.
Featured image via il0vethe80s on Pixabay, cropped, Pixabay license
Bruce says: As an Australian and therefor e a bit of a beer enthusiast , the concept of “Bud Light” is a bit of a worry.
After experiencing the original Czech “Budwar,, “Bud Light” is a essentially “sex by the sea”, i.e. F%&king near water”
The Thai / Carlsberg “Chang” brew is a REAL BEER”..
Cameron says: What’s Australia’s equivalent of cheap beer then? Foster’s? -:-)
Wfjag says: Marketing based on a social agenda isn’t a new idea. The underlying idea of “Sex Sells” has been around a long time, and can be very successful. In 1953, Playboy magazine was a very radical idea – so radical that Hefner couldn’t get financial backing and to increase distribution he went door-to-door to peddle his magazines and get them placed in lifestyle sections and not next to the dirty mags. He pitched the idea of the sophisticated seducer. And, it worked. A lot of young men, many vets, saw themselves or dreamed of that life style. Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels were based around the same idea. There was a very large demographic to market to.
What Bud Light (and by association, all A-B products) is pitching is the Groomer Seducer. There may be a small market for that – but I strongly doubt it includes guys who drink a cheap, watery beer. Go Woke to Go Broke.
Cameron says: According to Heinerscheid, the Bud Light brand has been “in decline.”
“Folks, this brand is in decline and may not be around in the foreseeable future.”
“How about we improve the quality of the product-” *sound of glass breaking and a scream as the speaker is tossed out the window.*
NTSOG says: “[H]aving a campaign that’s truly inclusive …”
A deviant creep prancing around like an under age teenie [with terrible knees] is not going to persuade many people to want to buy anything. ‘It’ is revolting.
“[T]hey are trying to preach at their target demographic …”
What, persuade more alphabet people to drink their grog? From what I have read their current ‘demographic’ is revolted by the sight of this huckster and will be offended by such preaching and the corporate arrogance and stupidity.
Revolted by the spokesthing – but even more revolted by the product. I almost never drink beer these days, but in my high school days I did – but the REAL thing. (Budweiser pretty much though; the other main choice around there was the Colorado spring water flavored by mountain goats.)
GWB says: this incredibly iconic brand
And, evidently you do that by destroying its icon status?
[…] this didn’t work with Bud Light. We learned that vice-president of marketing Alissa Heinerschied had decried the declining brand’s “fratty” image, and so had looked to […]
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