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Listen, we know you're all excited about the news of InBev's $46 billion bid to buy Anheuser-Busch. But have you considered the possible side effect? Fewer beer ads! A-B spends half a billion dollars a year on commercials, and another $300 million on sports sponsorships. But InBev—the maker of fey non-American beers like Stella Artois—is run by Belgian cheapskates who do comparatively little advertising at all. Watch out, Budweiser Clydesdales, Spuds MacKienzie, and American sportsmanship: foreigners are coming to destroy you!

While consumers have debated the merits of Anheuser's beers, not many have questioned the brewer's marketing skills. The "king of beers" has a long history of memorable advertising, including its iconic Clydesdales, Louie the Lizard, and party dog Spuds MacKenzie. Much of its advertising has been intertwined with pop culture, from the "Whassup" craze to "Dude," the brewer's newest catchphrase.

Every time I hear "Dude," I think of America.

Experts say InBev will likely cut ad spending and use the savings to fight its competitors with price cuts — the polar-opposite approach to Anheuser's. "The money InBev will spend will be on discounting and price wars, something that AB built its empire to avoid," says Bevmark's Mr. Pirko.

Goodbye, old friend!

[WSJ]