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On Sunday, April 23, 2023, Daniel Blake, Group Vice President for Marketing at Anheuser-Busch, took a leave of absence in light of the public outcry against its brand Bud Light collaborating with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Blake's decision comes just a day after another executive, Alissa Heinerscheid, the marketing Vice President at Bud Light, was placed on leave.
A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch told WSJ in an email:
"Given the circumstances, Alissa has decided to take a leave of absence which we support... Daniel has also decided to take a leave of absence"
On April 3, 2023, Dylan Mulvaney shared a paid-promotional post on her Instagram account that showed her drinking from a commemorative Bud Light can featuring her face. The can was sent to her by the beer giant to commemorate one year of her transitioning as well as to celebrate March Madness.
However, the move left a hoard of right-wingers and conservatives, including celebrities like Kid Rock and Ben Shapiro, enraged. They called for a mass boycott of the company, its products, and its parent company. The main reason behind the backlash was that Mulvaney was transgender.
Daniel Blake has been associated with Anheuser-Busch for almost a decade
Blake is a master's graduate of the University of Virginia's School of Business and has been associated with BudLight's parent company for almost a decade, joining the company first as a marketing intern in 2023.
He has managed several brands for Anheuser-Busch, including Stella Artois and Busch. Daniel Blake is also responsible for successful advertising campaigns like the "BUSCHHHHH" Super Bowl commercial and a campaign to pay off student debt.
Following Bud Light sponsoring Dylan Mulvaney, the ensuing controversy dropped the company's value by $6 billion and several BudLight warehouses received bomb threats. Additionally, distributors had to cancel promotional shows for the safety of their employees.
Of the many comments seen online, one key demand was that the brand fire the marketing team responsible for its partnership with Mulvaney, specifically Alissa Heinerscheid and those above her that approved the decision.
Just a few days before the boycott, Alissa, the first woman to lead the beer giant in 41 years, told Make Yourself at Home podcast that she wanted the brand to move away from its "fratty" image and attract young drinkers. One of her key strategies was inclusivity.
The spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch explained to the Wall Street Journal that the decision for both the executive's leave of absence was not a voluntary one and added that it was unclear how long it would last.
While Budweiser Global Marketing Vice President, Todd Allen, has replaced Heinerscheid in the interim, no replacement has been announced yet for Daniel Blake.
Following Blake's announcement, netizens were still not happy and demanded AB CEO, Brendan Whitworth, be fired as well.
Both Daniel Blake and Alissa Heinerscheid have remained silent on the matter since the start of the controversy and continue to remain as such at the time of writing this article.
