InBev plans to use Busch marketing

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The King of Beers, the folks who spent lavishly to bring you the Bud Bowl, the Talking Frogs, the Whassup Guys and the Clydesdales, is being swallowed by a Belgian brewer known for its frugality.

But InBev SA has an ambitious plan behind its $52 billion acquisition of An-heuser-Busch, hoping to tap into the U.S. company’s massive marketing power and make the Budweiser and Bud Light brands into globally recognized products akin to Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

Leaving marketing un-touched, though, will mean cuts elsewhere. InBev ex-pects to wring out $1.5 billion in annual savings, most of which will come from better managing the supply chain. InBev keeps a sharp eye on costs, forcing managers to justify every cent spent.

Anheuser-Busch Cos. agreed to the sweetened $70 per share bid late Sunday to create the world’s largest brewer and head off what was shaping up as an acrimonious fight.

Tags: inbev, anheuserbusch, budweiser