Disingenuous Marketing Campaigns Bother Me
Since 1876 Anheuser-Busch products have been conceived and manufactured in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. Recently after feeling pressure that sales were not growing enough or that commanding 50% of the US beer market wasn’t good enough, the Busch family turned over the reigns to the Belgium based company, InBev. The sale was intended to increase A-B’s foothold in stronger and emerging beer markets such as Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Eastern Europe.
With all this in mind, I’ve become increasingly more and more upset that A-B — now after 133 years of American ownership — has decided to market their American Heritage first with the switch of Budweiser’s tagline from “The King of Beers” to “The Great American Lager,” and more recently with the introduction of the new product, “Budweiser American Ale.”
It is just me, or is this hugely inauthentic? Maybe I’m upset because St. Louis can’t seem to fully cherish anything that is theirs (okay, fine… I’m still bitter about the demolition of the old Busch stadium). I’m also a miffed by the articles I’ve been reading about the big changes afoot in their management as well their historic and beautiful old factory.
However, on the heels of working with Wigwam, I personally still believe that a 5th generation family-owned business should rally round the campfire, and if improvements need to be made to the business, then do it themselves! Are we really so enamored by the quick buck that we can’t make anything in America anymore?
So next time you go to reach for a Budweiser American Ale, don’t pat yourself on the back and feel all patriotic. Don’t be fooled, seems these days if you want to buy American Samuel Adams, Yuengling and local micro brews are your best bet and it actually pains me to say that. I’ve always been a huge fan of Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser flows like water in my family. My Uncle even had a dog name Budweiser, Bud for short.
This reminds me of the Simpsons episode where a German company takes over Mr. Burn’s nuclear plant. It failed due to the culture clash. In this case, at least it’s still made by Americans. Unlike outsourcing, where American companies get the profits but the jobs go overseas — this simply means that the profits go overseas, and hopefully American retain their jobs.
I recalled hat this came about due to a hostile takeover, too… which I understood as the board willing to bend to the offer. Whenever there are shareholders, the “family-owned” has less to do with sovereignty than it does just plain marketing.
It’s sad, and i can’t paint it any other way. Especially if InBev has no regard for the rich heritage which made this an American icon in the fist place.
For now, I have no plans of renaming my cat “InBev” (although “Bev” does have a nice ring to it…)
By: Marc on June 23, 2009 at 12:33 am