[...]Will Bud Become Belgian? « Beer Activist[...]…

Dr. Tantillo (‘the marketing doctor’) did a post on this topic a while ago, speculating on what the implications would be for the Budweiser brand, and how essential its Bud’s continued American ownership is to its success: http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/06/12/tantillos-branding-bite-budweiser.aspx

Belgium is known for his good beers. (I never have drinking budwieser so I wont give an opignion about the quality). It’s sad for us to see how ‘heineken’, the worlds beer leader is such a succes while belgians and people of the netherlands know belgian beers tasts mutch better then heineken.

The dutch are just very good marketiers. They know how to sell a product.
Its frustrating for us too to see how the dutch beer is dominating the world while belgian beer has a higher quality. But that’s just marketing..

Also a lot of local belgian beers are taken by inbev or other big company’s. And its sad. Bud hey, after al you still can buy your beer, it will tast the same, and everyone will link the beer to its original hometown.

Except for in the beer trade, the US is one of the proponents in open market economics. Lot of belgian company’s have been taken over by americans due to this. Its not fun, but we dont make a total big deal of it like the budweisser-hype nowerdays..

For once americans are confronted with their own open marked idealism, they suddenly think its unexaptable.

I don’t know why you are saying to “wake up in the real world.” Our second biggest American brewery was bought by a foreign company years ago when SAB bought Miller. But ignoring the rudeness of that comment, I’ll respond to your other comment by explaining that my understanding is the InterBrew bought AmBev, not the other way around. Thus the Belgian reference to the new entity, “InBev.” In many ways, it doesn’t really matter since the important impact from mega-mergers like these is that they create global corporations that transcend any sense of local identity or local economic benefit. In a real sense, they are local to nowhere. They are owned by a small group of wealthy stakeholders who might live anywhere in the world and the products are produced all over the globe.

Chris

I’d like to comment on the fact that a lot of posts about this news are labelling InBev as “Belgian”. If you’re a bit informed about anything in the beer world, you should know that it’s in fact (after a merger a few years ago) Brazilian.

You’re just experiencing the same thing we have already been part of… having one of your brewers getting bought by outsiders. Wake up in the real world.

A Belgian beer drinker.

Missouri governor wants feds to review InBev offer
Date: 06/16/2008 01:21 PM

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt is asking the Federal Trade Commission to review the proposed sale of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. to Belgian brewer InBev.

Blunt sent a letter Monday to the federal commission asking for the review.

He says he is concerned the sale could create a near monopoly in the U.S. beer market by combining the two large brewers. He also says the sale could damage the St. Louis and Missouri economies.

InBev is offering to buy Anheuser-Busch for roughly $46 billion. Anheuser-Busch’s board has not said if it would support the deal.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

Brendan -
I think you’re probably right that foreign ownership of A-B will harm them – but I think it will only a minor hurt, which will easily be outweighed by the incredible profit potential of this proposed merger. Fuel and other environmental costs are only likely to be reduced by this deal. With the combined global brewing network of these two giants, production will take place closer to markets, not further away. InBev brands will be brewed at A-B facilities in the U.S., for example, and A-B brands will be produced at InBev facilities in places where there is currently no A-B production.

I do think this model is undesirable but that its shortfalls will only be felt in a longer timeframe when the movement for local products (including local ownership) gains more influence than it has now. Personally, I look forward to that day and am actively working to bring it on.

Cheers and all the best,
Chris

My sense of this merger is that it’s unstable and cannot work. The law of diminishing returns applies here.

Budweiser, in particular, is so stalwartly an American emblem that “foreign-owned Bud” implodes on the market and creates more space for the hometown brands.

I also think that the global issues of fuel cost and environmental concerns make InBev-AB into a giant balloon heading toward an inevitable pop.