College Complaints Squash Some Bud Light 'Fan Cans'

Anheuser-Busch is dropping its "Fan Cans" promotions from communities around the US where colleges have complained that the effort—which sells cans of Bud Light in school colors—promotes underage drinking and infringes on trademarks. Federal industry regulations require at least 70% of an advertisement's audience to be above 21, and that doesn't happen on college campuses, a Federal Trade Commission exec says.

The "Fan Can" program puts school colors on Bud Light cans and was launched to coincide with the start of football season—a popular time to drink beer. Anheuser-Busch says the cans have no college logos, names or other identifiers—just 27 color combinations. Some 25 colleges represented by Collegiate Licensing Co. have sent the brewer formal letters asking it to stop the program at their campuses, according to the company, which represents some 200 colleges and universities. It declined to name specific schools. (More Bud Light stories.)