Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

‘Fan can’ beer sales are falling flat

Controversy is brewing in South Carolina and nationally over Anheuser-Busch InBev’s most recent promotion — selling its popular Bud Light brand beer in college school colors.

Nationally, 25 colleges so far have sent letters to the Belgium-based InBev, which bought Anheuser-Busch last year, complaining that the campaign promotes underage drinking and infringes on trademarks..

InBev says it is dropping the promotions from communities around the country where colleges have complained.

But they are still available in a few locations in South Carolina.

Clemson said Thursday it is working with the Atlantic Coast Conference to oppose the sale of the cans.

The University of South Carolina said it is still studying the issue, adding that “the university does not endorse any product that could encourage underaged drinking.”

Both schools noted that neither the cans nor their promotional materials carry Clemson or USC logos.

A Federal Trade Commission attorney said this week that regulators spoke with the brewer about concerns that the cans would appeal to underage fans.

Anheuser-Busch and Columbia and Greenville wholesalers wouldn’t answer questions about promotion’s future in South Carolina.

Meanwhile, the cans are still being sold by the case in special displays in a handful of S.C. stores.

The cans sold in Columbia are maroon and white — much closer to Southeastern Conference-rival Mississippi State’s colors than USC’s garnet and black. The cans sold in the Upstate are orange and white, rather than Clemson’s orange and purple.

The cases sell for $15.99, which is $3 more than a sale price on regular Bud Light cases offered at other stores.

An informal survey of retailers near USC’s campus in Columbia Thursday showed displays in the Piggly Wiggly and Bi-Lo, both on Devine Street. Managers at both stores said the displays have been up for about three weeks. Neither is carrying Clemson cans.

“Oh no. We’re a Gamecock store,” said Cedric Richardson, co-manager of the Devine Street Bi-Lo store, commonly known as the Gamecock Bi-Lo because of its USC-themed decor.

Plenty of cases were available at the stores Thursday. “They aren’t pushing out as well as we thought they would,” Richardson said. “People are just buying what’s on sale.”

The grocery store closest to campus, the Food Lion in Five Points, is still awaiting delivery, manager Ray Gillespie said.

Budweiser of Columbia, the area distributor, “said they didn’t have any available and wouldn’t until the first week of September,” Gillespie said.

At Green’s Discount Beverage on Assembly Street, manager Gary Kangas said they had some of the cases, but the distributor pulled them out of the store last week. Kangas said they would stock the cans if he could, “just from a collector standpoint.” And if they are discontinued, “that would make them even more collectable,” he said.

Tony Dudley, sales manager of Budweiser of Columbia, referred questions to the beermaker’s corporate office in St. Louis.

In Clemson, Steve Edwards, manager of the Bi-Lo known for its Tiger theme, also said the promotion was falling flat.

“They aren’t selling that well,” he said. “We’ve run these kinds of promotions in the past and the novelty wears thin.”

Efforts to reach Tim Richards, general manager of Budweiser of Greenville, were unsuccessful.

Clemson spokeswoman Cathy Sams said the university is working through the Atlantic Coast Conference to deal with the issue: “There’s more strength in numbers.”

ACC spokesman Mike Fann said in an e-mail that the conference sent a letter to Anheuser-Busch on July 31 “asking A-B to reconsider their promotion due to the use of school colors.” He did not elaborate.

USC officials said Thursday in an e-mail that “the matter is being looked into.”

“In the meantime, we want to be clear that the fan cans are not associated with the University of South Carolina,” the statement said.

Efforts to reach Southeastern Conference officials for comment were unsuccessful.

Anheuser-Busch corporate officials in St. Louis — when asked if they had received communication from the ACC, the SEC or the two major S.C. schools — sent a statement saying: “Anheuser-Busch has a long-standing commitment to promoting responsible drinking.”

The statement also said about half of the Budweiser distributors nationwide are participating in the promotion.

The company did not respond Thursday to further questions.

Reach Wilkinson at (803) 771-8495.

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