Newsflash: Iconic American company Anheuser Busch was recently sold to Belgium-based InBev. What does the blogosphere have to say? We plugged in 3 conversation queries ("InBev"; “Anheuser Busch"; and of course "Budweiser") to gauge blogger reaction and learn who is leading the discussion.
It appears that instead of raving about their favorite summer beer, Budweiser fans are more concerned about the impact this takeover will have on their brewsky of choice. In the "Budweiser" conversation, more than a quarter of all posts analyzed contained reference to InBev.
Meaningful Distractions sets the tone for the nature of influencer reaction when it comes to this pending merger. The blog post, Patriotism Watch: Nation Mourns as Budweiser sold to European Brewer, is the most influential in the Budweiser conversation and the 6th most influential for the InBev/Anheuser Busch search.
Political blogs are even dragging the presidential candidates into the brouhaha. A post from the New York Times' The Caucus blog (4th influential for InBev/Anheuser Busch, #6 for Budweiser) looked at the McCain camp’s position on the takeover, with the headline Beer Money: The McCains and the InBev, Anheuser-Busch deal. The post reveals that Cindy McCain, who allegedly drives a car with a MS BUD vanity plate, stands to significantly benefit from the merger, given she has inherited Hensley & Co, an exclusive wholesaler of Anheuser Busch products in Phoenix and the third largest distributor in the nation. While the post reveals her personal holdings are 34%, the remaining shares are in the family.
Of course, Barack Obama was not left out of the influencer discussion; the Reuters blog, which rang in as the #2 most influential post in the AB/InBev disucssion, and #4 in the Budweiser one, quoted Obama as saying the sale is "a shame". The Democratic nominee's take? If Anheuser Busch really needs to sell, they should be able to find an American buyer.
Overall, it seems big media blogs are owning breaking news, while consumer generated blogs are reacting on a more personal level, pondering the future of their beloved brewer. Of course it remains to be seen how all of this will impact the Budweiser brand, or Anheuser Busch's bottom line.
