[Bumped for the Zima line, among other general hilarity. --OPS]
Myles Brand is not amused.
Last week, Bud Light hit the shelves across the nation in college towns with cans colored in different universities' honor in order to get fans all jacked up about football season. I visited the SUPERDUPERTarget store in Urbandale and was able to pick up a case of Black and Gold Bud Lights for regular price - of course, I screamed like a shotputter when I slammed the case down on the checkout lane. There were around 40 cases on display of the black and gold version - and four or five dusty cardinal and gold cases.
The cans look something like this:
Some colleges have some problems with the themed cans.
From the Wall Street Journal:
At least 25 schools have formally asked Anheuser-Busch to drop the campaign near their campuses, Mr. Siegal says. In recent letters, the University of Michigan's lawyers threatened legal action for alleged trademark infringement, demanding that Anheuser-Busch not sell the "maize and blue" cans in the "entire state." The University of Colorado, Oklahoma State University, Texas A&M University and Boston College have also told the company to stop distribution near their campuses, citing trademark issues and concern about student alcohol use.
No Iowa on that list, so far. Stay strong, Sally Mason. This Bud's for you.
Edit: No word yet on if Zima has released an Iowa State-themed bottle. Updates soon.