Bud ’Fan Cans’ Promotion Dropped Where Colleges Complained

Colleges that objected to Anheuser-Busch’s team-colored beer cans have succeeded in getting the brewer to halt the promotion in their local communities, the Associated Press reported Aug. 27.

“Certain cans are not being made available in communities where organizations asked us not to offer them,” said Carol Clark, Anheuser-Busch vice president for corporate social responsibility.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also has raised concerns about the Bud Light “Fan Cans” promotion over possible marketing of the product to those under age 21. Janet Evans, an FTC attorney, said that industry rules require promotions to target audiences including at least 70 percent consumers age 21 or older, which does not include college campuses.

“When you’ve got a college campus audience you’ve got a very large number of persons who are below the legal drinking age there, and in addition, you’ve got a population that engages almost exclusively in binge drinking,” said Evans.

“We really wouldn’t want [Anheuser-Busch] to do this again,” she added.

“We think it’s an ill-conceived and inappropriate campaign that runs counter to our collective efforts to combat underage drinking,” said Jack Dunn, a spokesperson for Boston College, one of more than two dozen schools that objected to the Bud Light campaign.