The Bud Light CEO trying to move the alcohol brand away from its “rotten” image has been shown in old photos downing beer at Harvard’s “boozefest.”
Alyssa Heinsreid, Vice President of Marketing at Budweiser, is seen in a series of leaked photos from a 2005 Harvard Social Club event blowing up condoms and dropping beer bottles.
The photos come directly from Heinerscheid’s Facebook, under the album “Isis Senior Reverse Initiation Scavenger Hunt,” before being later deleted by the CEO.
The scavenger hunt appears to have been part of the college’s Isis Club – which was created to be a safe haven for women. But the event held to discuss “professional exploration of the scrotum” was extended to include men. The club is referred to as “a haven from the drunken” by the school newspaper.
Several people were quick to call out the CEO’s hypocrisy after she said on the March 30 broadcast that she wanted the Bud Light brand to move away from the vulgar image and disparagement of “young drinkers.”
Heinrescheid, who was president of the club in 2006, has been in hot water since Bud Light partnered with transgender Dylan Mulvaney for their latest campaign.
Alyssa Heinsreid, vice president of marketing at Budweiser, is seen in a series of leaked photos from a 2005 Harvard Social Club event blowing up condoms and dropping beer bottles. Pictured: Alisa Heinsreid (right)
The photos came directly from Heinerscheid’s Facebook, under the Isis Senior Reverse Initiation Scavenger Hunt album, before she deleted them.
The scavenger hunt appears to have been part of the college’s ISIS club – which was set up as a safe haven for women
The school newspaper referred to the club as “a haven for drunken remorse,” according to the Daily Caller, which obtained the photos.
Several people were quick to call out the CEO’s hypocrisy after she said on the March 23 broadcast that she wanted the Bud Light brand to move away from the vulgar image and disparagement of “young drinkers.”
Pictured: Alisa Heinscheid, Vice President of Marketing for Bud Light
The Harvard alumnus has stated on the last months Make Yourself at Home podcast that it’s imperative that the brand attract more women and younger women because otherwise ‘there’s no future for Bud Light.’
She said she was convinced Bud Light should incorporate “inclusivity, and that means a change of tone, and that means having a campaign that’s really inclusive, feels lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and men.”
Heinerscheid claimed it had a “very clear” mandate to “develop and elevate this iconic brand”. Bud Light’s previous marketing strategy was criticized as dated and male-centric.
“We had this hangover, I mean Bud Light was kind of awful, kind of off-putting humor, and it was really important that we had another approach,” the Wharton alumnus argued.
Heinerscheid provided her expertise just three days before the angry backlash was launched when influencer Mulvaney released a Bud Light promo on her Instagram page.
Mulvaney’s April 2 Instagram post included her drinking a beer with her face printed on the can and lying in a bathtub knocking bud.
The decision to work with Mulvaney angered many loyal clients, including country singer Travis Tritt, who made the decision to remove all production from his tour bus and Kid Rock, who shot several cases for his pod lite.
A spokesperson for the company that makes Bud Light said: ‘Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of several ways to authentically connect with audiences across different demographics.
From time to time, we produce unique keepsake tins for fans and brand influencers, such as Dylan Mulvaney. This keepsake can be a gift to celebrate a personal achievement and is not for sale to the general public.
Mulvaney’s April 2 Instagram post involved her drinking a beer with her face printed on a can and lying in a bathtub knocking a bud
Although Heinerscheid says the Bud Light brand is dwindling, it remains the flagship beer for parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev.
The Belgian multinational, the world’s largest brewing company, saw its profit rise above expectations to more than 7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023.
It announced last month that its underlying earnings — earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization — was $4.95 billion.
Heinerscheid previously worked as a marketing guru at AB InBev before moving on to take over as Vice President of Bud Light in July last year.
Her LinkedIn profile proudly states that she is “the first woman to lead the largest beer brand in the industry.”
The beer manager was educated at the $60,000-a-year Groton School in Massachusetts before moving on to Harvard, where she studied English literature, and then business school at Wharton, where she earned a master’s degree in marketing.
Bud Light has been plagued by its controversial marketing strategy and has not posted on its official Twitter account for more than a week – prompting speculation of an internal shake-up as a result of the failed ad campaign.
Since the partnership with Mulvaney was revealed during March Madness, the annual NCAA basketball tournament, it’s worth noting that the brewer didn’t tweet at all during the University of Connecticut’s victory over San Diego State in the championship game on April 3.
