Foreign Budweiser
The buzz last week around the globe is that one true American brand could possibly go foreign if an unsolicited bid of $46 Billion dollars goes through. The fight is on and we all watch with intense anticipation.
Anheuser-Busch, brewers of the American beer, Budweiser, has an unsolicited bid on the table from Belgium brewer, InBev. Anheuser-Busch has already begun to put in place their army that will fight for this historical family-owned and operated company and keep the company “in the family.”
This possible deal has become so alarming to the Governor of Missouri, Matthew R. Blunt. He has officially opposed the sale and has asked for the state to perform an economic review to keep the company in Missouri.
A brand that has been “America’s” brand for 148 years is on the brink of moving overseas. Investors may push for a deal and this could cause some discord within the Anheuser and Bush families as apparently “nostalgia” should not play a part in whether the deal happens or not.
It leads me to wonder about a lot of questions surfacing: with such brand loyalty the Budweiser name has, will consumer’s opinions play a part in a possible sale? Should the only concern be about big business and money and forget about what the brand means to the United States? Will the sale to a company overseas affect how consumers in the United States continue to buy the product?
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Dannie McClain is a Category Manger with a New Jersey textiles company. In her spare time she also blogs on a personal blog and can be see at Deep South Moms.
Article Tags: Anheuser-Busch | Beneath the Brand | brand loyalty | Budweiser | Dannie McClain | marketing | TalentZoo
Filed under: Branding, Business, Dannie McClain
If I was the CMO at Miller, I’d be running to the CEO’s office with a fast-track marketing proposal aimed at positioning their brand as the true American beer.
Well that is exactly what a possible sale will do - spike Miller to start the campaigning to take over the title or maybe the little people, barely seen, might start showing up on the radar. In my neck of the woods, if the sale happens, people are loyal, but to “local” so to speak product. The search will be on to replace Bud if they go overseas and Miller is the “genuine draft” - maybe they will be genuine enough for new consumers to make the switch.
I’m pretty sure Miller is already foreign owned, so that strategy probably won’t work.
South African Breweries bought 64% around 2002. Philip Morris Co owns 36%. That is better then nothing and in the case of A/B possible purchase, the A/B families would be left with nothing in the company.