The Bud Light executive, who claimed the alcohol brand needs to move away from its "fratty" and "out-of-touch" image, has appeared in old photos downing beer at an alleged "haven of inebriated ditzes." Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing for Budweiser, can be seen in several leaked photos from 2005 partying at Harvard "boozefest."
The photos were originally posted to Heinerscheid's Facebook page under the 'Isis Senior Reverse Initiation Treasure Hunt' album before being later deleted by the corporate executive. However, The Daily Caller managed to obtain the photos of the Bud Light executive. Heinerscheid is facing severe backlash for putting trans influencer Mulvaney's face on the Bud Light cans.
Booze, Condoms and More
Photos from Heinerscheid's since-deleted Facebook page show her enjoying a campus scavenger hunt, blowing condoms like balloons, and drinking beer during a "boozefest" in 2006.
Heinerscheid and her college friends can be seen in an album named "Isis Senior Reverse Initiation Scavenger Hunt" wherein they are discussing "the exploration of the scrotum professors."
The Harvard ISIS Club, an organization formed to promote a "safe social place for women" to mingle on campus, appears to have organized the event at which the photos appear to have been taken.
Nonetheless, the club was criticized by the Harvard Crimson student newspaper in 2005 as a "haven of drunken ditzes" who participated in "boozefests."
Heinerscheid, who is now 39 years old, would have been about 21 at the time the pictures were shot.
The executive, who served as the club's president in 2006, has come under fire ever since Bud Light teamed up with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender, for their most recent commercial.
Many people were quick to point out her hypocrisy after the CEO stated on a podcast on March 30 that she wanted the Bud Lite brand to go away from a fratty image and turn off "youth drinkers."
On Wednesday, Heinerscheid was criticized on social media for being a hypocrite for appearing to be a part of the crass culture she said the beer firm needed to get rid of.
"This is too funny. Do as I say, not as I do," one person tweeted.
"Looks awfully 'fratty,'" another Twitter user wrote about the college pictures.
"Even she doesn't drink bud," one person wrote in response to the photos mocking Heinerscheid.
Inviting More Trouble
Heinerscheid shared her expertise just three days before transgender influencer Mulvaney posted the Bud Light advertisement on her Instagram profile, igniting a ferocious backlash. In an Instagram post from April 2, Mulvaney was seen chugging Bud while reclining in the bathtub and sipping beer with her face written on the can.
Before launching the partnership and ad featuring Mulvaney in a bathtub, Heinerscheid told the "Make Yourself at Home" podcast that she wanted to transform Bud Light's brand.
"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 a 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,'" Heinerscheid said.
Heinerscheid also slammed Anheuser-Busch's previous branding, saying: "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."
The decision to rope in Mulvaney infuriated many devoted patrons, including country musician Travis Tritt, who decided to remove all the goods from his tour bus, and Kid Rock, who decided to shoot at numerous cases of Bud Lite.
"Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to truly connect with consumers across various demographics," a spokeswoman for the company that makes Bud Lite said.
"From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public."
Although Heinerscheid claims the Bug Light is slowly losing its appeal, its parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev still considers Bud Lite to be its signature beer.
The Belgian beer giant had its profits exceed projections by more than 7% in the final quarter of 2023. It revealed last month that it had $4.95 billion in core profit, which is defined as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization.
Heinerscheid was a marketing whiz at AB InBev before taking over as Vice President of Bud Lite in July of last year.
According to her LinkedIn page, she is the "first female to head the largest beer brand in the industry."
The beer executive attended the $60k-per-year Groton School in Massachusetts for her undergraduate studies before going on to Harvard to study English literature and Wharton Business School to earn a master's in marketing.
There have been rumors that there may have been inside changes as a result of the failed marketing campaign given that the company hasn't tweeted in more than a week due to its contentious marketing strategy.
