Anheuser-Busch, In-Bev merger moves forward
After months of talk, Anheuser-Busch took some of its final steps to merge with the Belgian company, InBev, yesterday, after a majority of the US brewers’ shareholders approved the sale. While AB shareholders are set to cashout at $70 per share with the establishment of the , questions arise concerning how the new company will effectively market AB’s brand portfolio, like Budweiser, which was once leveraged as family owned and quintessentially American. Reportedly, InBev will seek to further globalize the marketing strategy of Budweiser and Bud Light.
The eventuality of the sale became evident to PRWeek, last month, after an e-mail was received from SaveBudweiser.com, a Web site protesting the globalization of the brand, in which the owners announced their decision to auction off the domain name and provide the earnings to military relief organizations.