It's certainly not unusual for brands trying to sell more units to wrap themselves in the American flag. This is particularly true during the summer months when Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Now comes news that the maker of Budweiser will replace the brand's name on its 12-oz. cans and bottles with the word "America".
The renaming is part of Bud's "America is in your hands" summer-long campaign, which will also include phrases from the Pledge of Allegiance as well as lyrics from "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful" on its packaging.
The idea behind the campaign is to remind Americans of the optimism that has made our nation great. The new packaging will hit store shelves on May 23 and will remain there until the presidential election in November. Bud will debut a new national television commercial beginning on June 1.
"We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen, with Copa America Centenario being held on U.S. soil for the first time, Team USA competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games," said Ricardo Marques, vice president, Budweiser, in a statement.
An article on The Atlantic site by Derek Thompson said that, while it may be simple to label Bud's America effort as "simultaneously funny, cynical, knowing, and absurd," the brand is trying to take advantage of an opportunity identified in research showing how patriotism spikes higher during periods when big international sporting events are taking place.
It's hard to say what the reaction will be to the America version of Bud. I'll admit that my initial reaction to the report was that an Onion article found its way to a straight news site.
Writer and Bud drinker Mark Wilson wrote for Fast Company, "I feel like I'm drinking an artifact bound for a Michael Moore documentary — something that's enjoyable when consumed in an ironic way, with a sort of Stephen Colbert, Team America, Mission Accomplished bravado."