Ad Alert

Victory! Bad Beer ads come down

Anheuser-Busch took down billboards like this across the country following pressure from Oregon Partnership, Marin Institute and others

Action by Marin Institute and others helped convince Anheuser-Busch to take down all of its Bud Light billboards across the country that showed a young man riding a jet ski against the backdrop of a giant bottle of Bud Light. This followed a complaint we sent to the Federal Trade Commission asserting that the billboard violated the Beer Institute code prohibiting ads that "associate or portray beer drinking before or during activities which require a high degree of alertness of coordination." Anheuser-Busch refused prior requests from state water safety agencies in both Oregon and Minnesota to remove similar billboards from water sports areas there. Public outrage about the irresponsible promotion was revived last summer when a young Oregon man was killed in an alcohol-related boating tragedy. Following this incident, and pressure from the Oregon Partnership, Anheuser-Busch took down some jet ski billboards in that state. We're glad that it was continued pressure, not more deaths, which convinced the beer giant to bring down the dangerous billboards nationwide.