Busch League Commercials

We've seen Bud wrap itself in the flag, as American brewed but more importantly, American owned. This conflicts BrooklynDodger, who views economic nationalism as generally good in this age, but flag wrapping as generally the last refuge of the scoundrel politician.

Annheuser-Busch was a top level bankroller of the anti-ergonomics campaign of NAM. Right up there with UPS [otherwise known as "back injuries are us."] On the other hand, AB and UPS are big union companies [actually Teamsters, mostly, who fought for the ergo standard.]

BrooklynDodger heard a UAW staffer say that ergo was just one more reason to hate Bus[c]h, and another reason to drink UAW-brewed Miller beer.

At the time, Miller was owned by Phillip Morris, a sort of horizontal combination of sinful consumption, although the Dodger believes alcohol is on balance good for you, while cigarettes are both harmful and good for management [which generally profits from early death.]

Now the news suggests that Miller is owned by South Africans, who have gone from bad guys to good guys [nationally, although the corporate guys are bad guys the world over.] Did SAB also buy Phillip Morris?

Coors - the most anti union of beer companies - was bought by Molson, which says union made on its labels.

BrooklynDodger has also sampled Budweiser brewed in Canada by either Molson or Labatts - it's better than the US version, because of more alcohol, but not as good as the Canadian competition. Nevertheless, Canadians apparently buy it, presumable to drink it. Go figure.


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Red, White and Beer? A Brewer's Strong Talk

By HEATHER TIMMONS
Published: July 11, 2005
LONDON

ANHEUSER-BUSCH is taking some chances by circulating marketing materials that may cross the line from patriotism to jingoism.

The materials consist of at least two sheets of information that apparently are meant to depict Anheuser-Busch as the brand of choice for patriotic Americans. One sheet criticizes the company's major competitors, SABMiller and Molson Coors, for being "owned by foreigners." The other states that Anheuser-Busch is expanding internationally to bring profits "back to the United States."

Materials depict Anheuser-Busch as the brand for patriots.
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In the past, Anheuser-Busch has mentioned Miller's purchase by South African breweries in television commercials. But analysts said that the new campaign went further in its pro-American stance, striking a note that might seem dissonant for a company expanding rapidly overseas.

There are also questions about the accuracy of the information Anheuser-Busch is circulating. One assertion is that SABMiller, which is based in London, is "owned by South Africans and left the country" after apartheid was abolished. It also says that "a majority of SABMiller's owners are South African." SABMiller says about 35 percent of its investors are South African and 32 percent are American; most of the others are European.

Another claim is that "Anheuser-Busch is the only major American brewer still American-owned, with over 95 percent of our stock held by American investors." According to Bloomberg data, Barclays of Britain is one of the company's largest investors, with a 6.19 percent stake.

Among the other assertions, Anheuser-Busch says that it recently bought Harbin Brewery of China "so we could generate more profit to bring back to the United States." That's also a reason it gives for its 50 percent ownership of Grupo Modelo, the Mexican brewery that makes Corona.

And the company takes a shot at Coors: "Coors merged with Molson in 2005, and Molson Coors is 51 percent owned by foreigners," the information sheet says. Molson is a Canadian company.
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The company has been expanding steadily abroad: in part because of its purchase of Harbin Brewery in China, it sold 13.8 million barrels of beer overseas in 2004, up 64 percent from the year before and about one-sixth of its total volume.