Budweiser rebrands to 'America' until end of elections

"Brazilian-run, Belgium-based… Anheuser-Busch InBev has redesigned its labels" in the US, reports the BBC. The company has temporarily rebranding its flagship beer Budweiser as - America.

It might sound strange, but "placing aside matters of taste, there's no legal problem with naming something 'America' that isn't America", notes Jessica Roy in the Los Angeles Times. The marketing ploy will last until the end of the presidential election season on 8 November.

"We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen," said a company spokesperson, citing the hosting of the Copa America football tournament as well as the summer Olympic Games in Brazil and the usual public holidays, including the ultra-patriotic 4 July independence day.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

And, of course, there's the small matter of selecting a new leader of the free world, during the campaigning for which the candidates, probably Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump, will spend a lot of time talking about how great America is – or could be.

Not everyone is a fan of the plans. Writing in the Washington Post, Tom Acitelli says that while "from a marketing standpoint" the plan is "freakishly brilliant, however shameless", if you "peel back the label a bit… it all tastes a bit thin.

"Why? Because Budweiser is about as American these days as a successful Green Party or ample paid maternity leave," he rails. "Not because it's foreign-controlled - lots of firms operating in the US market are. What really disqualifies AB-InBev is the relentless mass-production of its beers, that flagship Budweiser in particular. Watery, soda-pop fizzy and ruthlessly inoffensive."

But many expect the plans will boost sales of what is already by far the US's favourite beer.

"Will American consumers be fooled into thinking they're drinking liquid patriotism? Maybe," adds Roy in the LA Times. "So-called consumer patriotism appears to spike around international sporting events… And let's be honest: it's going to be tough to resist the allure of Instagramming yourself cracking open a can of 'America' at your Fourth of July party."