Blue-and-yellow beer cans are not the way University of Toledo President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs wants students to show school spirit.
He recently joined a number of college leaders asking Anheuser-Busch to stop selling near campus its Bud Light Fan Cans, which are colored to represent sports teams and are featured as part of its "Tailgate Approved" marketing campaign.
"We feel your use of the University of Toledo's color schemes to market alcoholic beverages is inappropriate and would appreciate it if the product could be removed from store shelves," Dr. Jacobs recently wrote to Carlos Brito, chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch.
Many of UT's students are under the legal drinking age of 21, and campaigns such as this go against the university's efforts to address illegal and excessive drinking, Dr. Jacobs said.
"Alcohol abuse in young people is a dangerous thing, and this is a piece of a big puzzle," he said.
Anheuser-Busch has 26 Fan Can color combinations. It's a voluntary program available to its wholesalers, with about half participating, according to a statement from Carol Clark, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Anheuser-Busch.She said the company has a "longstanding commitment to promoting responsible drinking," and as with all its beers, the cans are sold through licensed retailers where customers have to be 21 to buy them.
"We place great value in the relationships we've built with college administrators and campus communities across the country," Ms. Clark said. "Certain cans are not being made available in communities where organizations had asked us not to offer them."
The blue and yellow and red and silver Fan Cans have been for sale in Toledo, said Rick Niehaus, vice president of Treu House of Munch, distributor of Anheuser-Busch products in the Toledo area. But only a small amount was ordered for the area, he said, and not many cans are left.
The Andersons and Kroger confirmed they have sold the cans in their Toledo stores.
While the color combinations likely were sent to this area to represent the University of Michigan and Ohio State University, the blue-and-yellow ones also reflect the Rocket Gold and Midnight Blue of UT.
Fan Cans don't come in orange and brown, the colors for Bowling Green State University. BGSU spokesman Dave Kielmeyer said no team-colored cans have appeared in its market, and it hasn't been an issue on campus.
"We will continue to monitor the area marketplace, but given the generic nature of the designs, we're not overly concerned that the cans will induce students to drink or drink more," he said.
Contact Meghan
Gilbert-Cunningham at:
mcunningham@theblade.com
or 419-724-6134.
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