UI officials are drafting a letter in President Sally Mason’s name asking the Anheuser-Busch corporation to reconsider using black and gold colors in its “Fan Can” promotion.
The future of the popular campaign has come into question after universities nationwide have complained about the Bud Light packaging, which has 27 different color combinations coordinated with school colors.
Local retailers say the product has proved popular with UI students since it kicked off this month, just in time for football season.
But UI officials — along with those from several other Big Ten schools — weren’t too pleased to see their school colors on alcohol containers, especially at a time when they are trying to discourage binge drinking.
UI spokesman Tom Moore said the university was afraid the cans might send a “mixed message at a time when we are encouraging students to drink legally and responsibly.”
Some universities are also citing trademark violations, but because the cans bear no logo or other university symbols, Moore said, he was unsure if this notion has any legal grounds.
The purpose of the letter is to make it clear the university does not endorse the promotion.
UI officials were notified of the campaign late last week. They then decided to draft a letter — written jointly by UI administrators, as well as representatives from Iowa athletics, sports marketing, and the General Counsel’s Office — which will be sent as soon as it’s finished.
Other schools, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Boston College, and Texas A&M, have sent similar letters asking the company to cease distribution of cans bearing their respective colors, according to the Associated Press.
The move by numerous universities confirmed the UI’s decision to write a letter, Moore said.
The company has noticed the fervor the cans have created since distribution began, said Laurie Miller, the marketing manager for Dale Lee Distributing, Inc., which distributes Anheuser-Busch products locally.
“There’s been a lot of enthusiasm from our accounts for the cans,” she said.
The Cedar Rapids-based company distributes to more than 900 different retailers in eastern Iowa, including Liquor Downtown, 315 S. Gilbert St.
Darin Aisenbrey, the manager of the downtown business, said the product has been a favorite among patrons.
“They’re very popular,” he said, and the store has sold several hundred cases since it began selling the cans on Aug. 14.
Despite concerns from universities, Aisenbrey said, the establishment would continue to sell the cans while they’re in stock.
“We’re certainly not going to remove them from the store,” he said.
Other than their high sales, he said the cans’ potential removal wouldn’t have much of an effect.
“It’s not going to hurt anyone’s feelings,” Aisenbrey joked. “There will still be Bud Light.”
