Budweiser to reduce NASCAR sponsorship
Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch vice president of sports marketing, told ESPN.com on Thursday that A-B has signed a multi-year extension to continue its longstanding tradition as sponsor of the season-opening Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. The length of the new deal was not disclosed.
A formal announcement should come next week, Ponturo said. There had been speculation that the 30-year relationship would end following the 2008 edition of the race, which was originally run in 1979 and dubbed the Busch Clash. It was renamed the Bud Shootout in 1998 before earning its current distinction, the Budweiser Shootout.
"We were there when it wasn't fashionable to be there," Ponturo said. "Why walk away from what works?"
Budweiser will also upgrade its sponsorship of Kasey Kahne's World of Outlaws team from secondary to primary, Ponturo said.
"It's another way to enforce that this is not a company that's backing off, it's staying aggressive and will continue to support Kasey, the No. 9 team and some of the things that surround his association [with Budweiser]," Ponturo said. "We're going to be the primary sponsor.
"Not only do we think [World of Outlaws] has a lot of merit for us in the marketplaces it goes, and really is associated fully with Budweiser, but it's also a way for us to say [to Kahne], 'Hey, let's deepen the relationship.'
"We'll lean on him to do a few more appearances and help out with some things. That's how a true partnership works. We're still very bullish. The one thing we're hearing loud and clear from this new organization is that things that are working will continue to be a big part of our plan, and clearly NASCAR is working." ESPN.com
07/15/08 InBev is run by Brazilians who have been aggressive in cost cutting," said Tom Pirko, president of Bevmark, a consulting firm in Buellton, Calif. "They will install the kind of discipline that will change the profile" of Anheuser-Busch.
InBev President Carlos Brito, who is based in Brazil, is "a tough guy," Pirko said, and may cut back on Anheuser-Busch's historically prolific advertising, curb its generous sponsorships and put the squeeze on distributors to reduce their profits.
Brito, however, said Monday that InBev had no plans to trim advertising in the United States.
"What we see in Anheuser-Busch is its marketing expertise, and that's one of the pillars of why they built such great brands," Brito said.
InBev said Monday that all of Anheuser-Busch's U.S. breweries would remain open. LA Times
07/08/08 Shootout to get new name? There's a chance the annual running of the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway could play the name game. The non-points race has been the season starter for NASCAR's premiere series since 1979 when it was known as the Busch Clash. Sources tell News 13 that routine negotiations are underway for naming rights to the 2009 race, and it's not yet certain that Budweiser will return as title sponsor. News 13