Anheuser-Busch Yanks Spykes Beverage After Complaints
About one week after 27 attorneys general warned Anheuser-Busch over its marketing practices, the brewer has pulled the plug on its Spykes flavored malt beverage.
A group of 27 AGs on May 11 issued a written warning to Anheuser-Busch that its caffeinated alcoholic beverages were “highly attractive” to those not yet old enough to imbibe.
The AGs singled out Tilt, Bud Extra and Spykes.
Anheuser-Busch said it was ceasing production of Spykes due to limited volume potential and “unfounded criticism.” It introduced the 2-ounce beverage—which contains 12% alcohol—close to two years ago in test markets and nationwide in January, said Michael J. Owens, vice president of marketing for Anheuser-Busch, in a statement.
“Spykes was unduly attacked by perennial anti-alcohol groups, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Marin Institute,” he said. “Our commitment to deliver a variety of products to meet the changing demands of today’s adult consumers remains uncompromised.”
Spykes colorful packaging was cited as a concern among the AGs. The bottles came in lemon, mango, lime and chocolate colors to match flavors like Hot Chocolate and Spicy Mango. The beverages were marketed primarily by word of mouth and sold only in certain states, Anheuser-Busch said.
The AGs said Spykes was marketed mainly on the Internet with no effective means of preventing underage users from entering the site (PROMO Xtra, May 11, 2007).
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said that Anheuser-Busch had done the “responsible” thing by pulling Spkyes off the market.
“But the real question is how this ill-considered product slithered from the drawing board to the assembly line in the first place,” George A. Hacker, CSPI’s alcohol policies director, said in a statement. “One also wonders whether the company truly hit bottom with Spykes or whether it will again stoop to market kid-friendly drinks after the furor subsides.”
He called on the members of the Anheuser-Busch boardroom to exercise greater caution in determining whether its marketing appeals to minors.
