The "Fan Can"
If you live in the state of Iowa, you best hit your beer distributors ASAP. Bud Light has released its unsanctioned promotional cans of red and gold for Iowa State (in Ames) and black and gold for the University of Iowa (in Iowa City).
The cans are being released coincidentally at the same time students are returning back to school. The beauty of these cans is that there is no mention of school name or logo. Neither school promotes the idea as both schools are trying to slow down campus binge drinking.
Others are pleased with Bud Light’s release. The custom beer cans have been “selling like hotcakes,” said Rich Parizek, manager of Campustown Liquor near ISU’s campus in Ames. “It was a great idea.” Parizek figures 95 percent of his customers are college students. Parizek is looking forward to the annual football game between the U of I and Iowa State on Sept. 12 in Ames. He hopes to make a windfall with the can sales.
Though the schools are displeased, a Bud Light spokesman stated, that the cans “carry no third-party logos, names or other proprietary identifiers. We have taken great precautions to make sure our packaging does not infringe upon any intellectual property rights.” “Our company’s position on college drinking is clear,” he wrote. “If students are 21 or older and choose to drink, we want them to do so responsibly. If they are under 21, we want them to respect the law and not drink.”
A spokeswoman with the National Collegiate Athletic Association said the promotion “does not have the NCAA blessing.”
Here’s to you Mr. Bud Light promotional “Fan Can Man.”
