[Business ★★]
(P1) One of the word’s most famous beer companies is changing the name of its best-selling beer. The company is Anheuser-Busch (AB), which is the USA’s largest maker of beer. It is going to change the name of its Budweiser beer to ‘America’. The name change will be only for six months, between May 23 and November. A company spokesperson said the name change is to try and increase sales. Budweiser used to be the USA’s most popular beer but it has been losing market share for over 25 years. The word ‘America’ will replace the word ‘Budweiser’ on its cans. It will also use the same font that AB uses for Budweiser. In addition, the initials “AB” will be replaced by “US”.
(P2) The new name and labeling are part of Budweiser’s summer-long campaign called “America is in Your Hands”. There are many important national days during the campaign period, starting with the Memorial Day weekend on May 30 and ending with the presidential elections in November. In between are the summer Olympics and Labor Day. The company wants Americans to feel proud of America – both the company and the beer. Budweiser’s vice president Ricardo Marques said: “Budweiser has always strived to embody America in a bottle, and we’re honored to salute this great nation, where our beer has been passionately brewed for the past 140 years.”
WORDS: 226
SOURCE: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1605/160513-america.html
VOCABULARY: spokesperson, font, labeling, campaign, presidential, strived, embody, brewed
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Do you like the temporary name change from Budweiser to America? Why or why not?
- Why is advertising important for companies?
- Are you influenced by advertisements? Why or why not?
- Does your country have beer brewing companies? If so, what are the names of the beers?
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- Losing market share (P1)
- Summer-long (P2)
- Memorial Day (P2)
- Labor Day (P2)
Image source: BUDWEISER/COURTESY OF PR NEWSWIRE http://www.phillyvoice.com/if-budweiser-america-im-no-longer-american/