Colored Fan Cans Accused of Promoting Underage Drinking

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Anheuser-Busch campaign gearing up as the football season gets underway has caused controversy among many college universities.

Across the country, Anheuser-Busch has launched nearly two dozen beer cans corresponding with college colors. Company officials said the marketing promotion, or "fan cans," is a way to stir up school spirit. But dozens of universities across the country, including Oklahoma, disagree with the promotion saying it promotes underage drinking. However, some students don't agree with that idea.

"It's a good marketing ploy," said Taylor Graham, a student at the University of Oklahoma.

But others said the marketing tactic should be canned.

"It kind of degrades the meaning of what your university kind of entails. I definitely think it's a bad idea for underage drinking. I'm against that a lot, especially binge drinking," said Kabish Patidar, OU Alumnus.

Anheuser Busch announced it will pull the colored cans from communities where colleges have raised concern.

Oklahoma State University released a statement expressing their views on the "fan cans."

"We are concerned the product has now appeared in select Oklahoma markets. Along with many other universities, we expressed our concern that using OSU colors targeted a group that included underage drinkers and also constituted trademark infringement. Color matters when it comes to marketing and packaging. People in Oklahoma connect OSU with orange."

OU also released a statement reassuring fans that they had no hand in the marketing ploy.

"Beverage cans appearing in the marketplace with colors resembling the University of Oklahoma's crimson and cream are not licensed by OU nor has the university licensed any of its trademarks to Anheuser-Busch for this promotion."

But for some, the color of the can doesn't make a difference.

"A beer can is a beer can. It doesn't really matter. So having the colors on there doesn't make it anymore special," said Bhakta Ankur, OU Alumnus.

Both OU and OSU have notified area distributors that they do not wish to be affiliated with the program.