Publicado em Época Negócios

Empresas dependem dos mais talentosos para vencer e se manter no topo. Lidar com eles não é fácil

Falando sobre a InBev em uma palestra na Universidade de Stanford, Carlos Brito, atual CEO da AB InBev, disse que, das 85 mil pessoas que trabalhavam na empresa, entre 200 e 250 realmente faziam a diferença. “Essas”, disse o executivo, “gerenciamos de uma forma diferente.” Admita ou não, a maioria das empresas sabe que, em geral, um percentual pequeno de funcionários é responsável por ela bater a concorrência – são os seus talentos.

Mas conquistar e, principalmente, manter gente talentosa – aqueles capazes de criar um valor desproporcionalmente maior em relação aos recursos disponíveis – não é fácil. Esse desafio de gestão tem sido, nos últimos anos, o foco de estudo de dois professores da London Business School, Gareth Jones e Rob Goffee. Eles prometem para o segundo semestre um livro sobre o tema intitulado Clever – Leading Your Smartest, Most Creative People (“Brilhante – guiando o seu pessoal mais inteligente e criativo”, numa tradução livre) e, em artigos recentes, ofereceram um aperitivo do que estão preparando.

Jones e Goffee afirmam que o perfil de pessoas brilhantes com frequência é incômodo para seus chefes. Muitas são orgulhosas e não gostam de feedback. Boa parte despreza hierarquias, e há sempre o risco de que se entedie e deixe a empresa, caso não se sinta desafiada. A maioria não consegue reconhecer a liderança e acha que não precisa ser guiada. O sucesso do gestor, na opinião delas, é passar despercebido. É claro que, inicialmente, o mais importante é reconhecer os talentos. Sempre se pode estar diante apenas de um funcionário difícil. Mas, uma vez identificados os mais talentosos, os professores sugerem algumas práticas para mantê-los felizes:

• Seja o guarda-chuva: A burocracia da empresa é uma chateação para eles. Quando seus projetos arrojados entram em atrito com membros ortodoxos da diretoria, proteja os brilhantes.

• Simplifique as regras: Não crie regrinhas corporativas desnecessárias. Faça de tudo para que eles concordem previamente sobre um conjunto enxuto de regras.

• Vá além da hierarquia: Não tente motivá-los apenas por meio de títulos e promoções formais. Eles ligam mais para o status e o reconhecimento direto, por meio do tratamento cotidiano.

• Reconheça a diferença: Deixe claro que eles estão acima da curva. Contudo, ressalte que, apesar de não serem dependentes da organização, há interdependência.

• Dê espaço para o fracasso: Nem todas as inovações dão certo. Aliás, muitas dão errado. Não os crucifique. Na indústria farmacêutica, por exemplo, para cada novo produto, dúzias fracassam.

• Abra canais: A falta de acesso ao topo, na visão deles, revela descaso da empresa com seu trabalho. E a sua positiva obsessão por produzir pode se tornar indiferença rapidamente.

• Dê direção: As pessoas acima da média são bem focadas – por vezes, no próprio umbigo – e, em geral, não gostam de ser guiadas. O desafio é criar um alinhamento razoável entre os interesses delas e os da empresa. Um alinhamento perfeito é impossível.

• Escute o silêncio: Detectar o clima e o moral de uma equipe povoada de talentos é desafiador. O ambiente pode sugerir um tipo de clima, mas na verdade ser outro. Para controlar o risco, busque um aliado, alguém que esteja disposto a se comunicar diretamente com você.

Leia mais em Época Negócios.

(CercleFinance.com) – Nokia arrive en tête des marques européennes ayant le plus de valeur devant le français LVMH et le brasseur belge Inbev, selon une étude rendue publique mardi par l’European Brand Institute.

L’enquête ‘eurobrand2009′ consacre le fabricant finlandais de téléphones portables, avec une marque valorisée à quelque 35,2 milliards de dollars, devant LVMH et une estimation de 32,3 milliards d’euros.

L’European Brand Institute explique que les marques de biens de consommation sont les gagnantes de la crise, Inbev ayant ainsi vu la valeur de sa marque grimper de 56% grâce à l’acquisition réussie de la marque américaine Budweiser.

Les marques Vodafone (téléphonie mobile, 23,8 milliards d’euros), Unilever (grande consommation, 22,8 milliards) et Telefonica (télécommunications, 22,1 milliards) prennent respectivement les quatrième, cinquième et sixième places du classement.

MORE: http://www.radiobfm.com/edito/info/48378/nokia-premiere-marque-europeenne-en-terme-de-valeur-/

Leffe is an excellent winter beer, though to be honest I think that most of the Belgium and Winter style beers are excellent for this time of the year. There is something about how the spices of the beer work together with the foods and cold air that is blowing through that makes these beers suited to the colder weather. Inbev’s Leffe is an “Abbey” Belgium beer once associated with the Notre Dame de Leffe which was founded back in 1152 in southern Belgium and was the local wild fruits and spices that gave this ale it distinct and unique flavor profile. Currently Leffe is bottled by Anheuser-Busch in the United States, but is produced at the Stella Artois brewery in Leuven. Leffe has tones that can be found in most Belgium Winter ales such as Hoegaarden, but with slightly less spicy character and a smooth wheat flavor. When you pour Leffe into a glass you a get the sweet and fruit tones that give your palate a distinct preview of the flavors to come. In summation, this is a great ale to keep around in the fall and winter months, it would be paired well with bowl of hearty soup or pasta.

Rating:
• Drinkability - 5 out of 5
• Flavor - 5 out of 5
• Refreshness - 4 out of 5
• Overall – 14 out of 15

Much has happened since neglecting my favorite web site, due to crazy local events. I refuse to bore you with those details, so let me get to the subject at hand: Beer!
I am sure by now almost everybody has tasted their fall marzen, or what is commonly called Oktoberfest. I usually sample as many of these as possible, but this year I slacked off a bit, but still had time to try the Kostritzer version from the black bier people in Germany. A change of pace from the caramel malt laden versions around, like Samuel Adams Octoberfest.
But the caramel malt profile has become synonymous with autumn beers in the United States. As the weather turns cooler the body has a need for more malts, which makes super hop productions seem out of season for the moment.
Since it is autumn and we are rapidly moving towards Halloween, I do want to mention one of my favorite seasonal productions, that being Saranac Pumpkin Ale.
Many compare this beer to pumpkin pie, although I do not eat pumpkin pie as a rule. No, what I like about this pumpkin ale is the recipe. I prefer it over Brooklyn Brewery’s Post Road, which Matt Brewing does the contract brewing for.
About a month ago I attended a distributor trade show where Rochester, New York brewer Dundee had samples of their Oktoberfest. A very good take on the style, that is not as widely distributed as it should.
I also got to sample Sierra-Nevada’s Chico Estate. A complete “in-house” brew, using hops grown by the brewery. It was quite good, but time limitations prevented the kind of serious, sit down contemplation this smooth ale demanded.
At the very same show (hell, it might as well been called a party) the Schlitz Gusto folks were in full promotional mode. Schlitz Gusto is the trade book name for the revived early 1960’s formula of Schlitz, before the marketing geniuses came up with the idea of tweaking the recipe, to supposedly produce more, while using less ingredients. That lead to the ultimate disaster where Schlitz, the number one beer in America since World War II, lost its market dominance to Budweiser, and never gained it back. As a kid, I heard beer drinking adults refer to Schlitz as “Shits” when the reformulated suds turned people away in droves.
But corporate amnesia was in full play this evening. Like Microsoft wanting you to buy 7 and forget all about something once known as Vista, the Schlitz Gusto had not only tied in to their daddy or granddaddy’s beer, with its Schlitz classic logo, they even had buttons promoting it as the beer of choice for the 1969 Woodstock music festival.
I also had to marvel at the riffs being used by the sales representative. Not only was he promoting Schlitz with quite a bit of gusto, he also had on hand their strong (8.5%) malt liquor, which he made a distinction that it was not malt liquor (which is in fact, a rather ambiguous term) but a high gravity lager.
Which was also in full play at this trade show, the distinction between craft, regional retro and corporate has becomes pretty much of a blur. I know the so-called craft brewers want to seperate themselves from the rest of the brewing industry, but is that actually possible, or is it by now, just another marketing ploy? I mean after trying Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat, how is it different than other big brewer’s wheat productions? From Coors’ Blue Moon to Bud Light Golden Wheat?
As I stated in a previous post, the recipe is the final deciding factor. Consolidation of brewing interests can reek havoc on a beloved brew. Take what A-B Inbev as done to the venerable Bass Ale. Corporate concerns have forgotten all about the character of this famous ale, that once upon a time, in Burton-On-Trent England, was brewed with gypsum mineral rich water that provided a somewhat chalky but delicious finish. None of that is present in the concoction now sold as Bass.
Luckily, some recipes have not been changed, or in rare cases, actually improved. Two of the early winter arrivals are outstanding: Avery’s Old Jubilation Ale and Flying Dog’s K-9. Both of these examples show that if you are going to fork out some serious money for a six pack of beer, it had better be worth it. In the case of these two, I would say it is.
As always my only prayer is thank you.

I heard rumors and was pretty certain this would happen, but today it was announced that Busch Gardens Theme Parks will be sold to Blackstone group for 2.7 Billion dollars.   I wonder if they plan to keep the “themes” of the various countries throughout the park or have plans to completely revamp the whole theme.  Maybe the Oktoberfest section in the Germany portion of the Virginia park will now serve authentic German beers.  This might be a good thing…

Yes, time for another Macro review.  I know, I know.  But in my defense, the first few times I had Shock-Top it was on tap (and I was not as learned in the beer culture as I am now) and I had developed a taste for it before knowing of its roots.  And damn it, it’s a mighty tasty brew!

From the Shock Top label: Unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with orange, lemon & lime peels and coriander, which is naturally cloudy with a light golden color.

Shock-Top Belgian White is an unfiltered Belgian style wheat beer (a.k.a. an American wheat beer) brewed with spice by the folks over at Anheuser-Busch/InBev.  The beer comes in at 5.2% ABV.

Shock Top is your typical American-style wheat.  Brewed with orange, lemon, lime and coriander and a giving of a delicious smell that says “orange grove”.

The beer pours with a color reminiscent of orange juice with a white, one-finger head.  The head quickly abates, leaving almost zero lacing on the glass.   There is mild carbonation and multiple “floaties” (a.k.a sediment from the orange peels) swimming around the glass that appear to be dancing in the beer when held to the light.

A-B did a pretty good job of replicating a Belgian-style wheat (with the expected American “touches”).  The orange flavor, obviously, overpowers everything else; leaving very little room for the other fruit to shine through.   The mouthfeel has a little bite to it, and savoring the flavor brings a sourness out that wasn’t present before.  Some dryness follows the beverage.

Shock Top is a good session beer.  Perfect for sipping on a warm summer day with the ball game on the TV.  And a nice way for the “average beer drinker” to get a little insight into the world of American (once again, not Belgian) wheat beers.

P.S.  If you’re purchasing Shock Top at a bar/restaurant it will probably come with an orange, but it’s just as good, if not better, without.

Overall:  8 out of 10

As a WHEAT BEER: 8 out of 10

I purchase this beer for two reasons: 1. I was intrigued to see what Anheuser-Busch could do with an ale  2. I’m a sucker for trying a new beer.  And now that I’ve finished this brew, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised.

The beer pours with a robust red color with a heavy caramel colored head.  Heavy lacing remains once the head (slowly) dissipates.  The nose is a barley heavy scent very reminiscent of other Budweiser beers (don’t let this deter you let, I too was hesitant).

Budweiser American Ale is a pleasant surprise, a barley heavy flavor that is reminiscence of classic Irish Red/Amber ales.  A very slight bitter taste appears for a moment before disappearing, along with the rest of the flavor.  Subsequent tastings brought upon similarities with an old style rye soda (especially once the beer begins to warm).

Although I don’t really see this becoming a regular in my ale rotation, I must admit that it was better than I expected.  A good attempt on the part of Anheuser Busch/InBev to bring a craftbrew to the American public, but one that doesn’t give the drinker the full awesomeness that a red (American) ale can produce.  Here’s hoping the Budwesier American Ale serves as a gateway for the uninitiated to the glorious world of craftbrewed beers.

P.S. This brew comes in at 5.3% ABV.

Overall:  3.5 out of 10

As an AMERICAN ALE: 4.5 out of 10

We set out to find the top five most impactful marketing vehicles of all time. The whole discussion started with how we describe what we do for a living. In the business of Experiential Marketing, formerly known as Mobile Marketing, the branded marketing vehicle is the bling-on-the-scene, the wow factor, the buzz generator, drawing people like moths to a flame at events and stores. The car, truck or double-expandable trailer wrapped in a branded blanket of color and tag lines is one of the starting points we use to describe what we do. Everyone has seen them, everyone has walked up to them, slightly wide-eyed in wonder – but which ones are the best? Which ones stand alone as the most effective, memorable and seen vehicles ever? Here are the vehicles we’ve deemed the best of the best.

#5. Big Foot –

It all started in 1974 when Bob Chandler built the first Big Foot, right here in our own back yard, St. Louis, Missouri. It was built under a 1974 Ford F250 body with giant Firestone Floatation tires. In 1979 they added rear-wheel steering, which made parallel parking at the mall a breeze. In 1981 the famous words “Hey guys, watch THIS!” were uttered by Bob when he decided to see if he could drive Big Foot over a couple of old junk cars. Bob survived and a new “sport” was born. Monster trucks are kind of like the pro-wrestling of auto sports – branded, promoted and highly attended by millions every year.

www.bigfoot4×4.com

#4. We have a tie for fourth place – The U.S. Navy Blue Angels, and the U. S. Air Force Thunderbirds

These teams, comprised of the most talented pilots on the planet have been inspiring young men and women to join the U.S. Military services for over 55 years. Collectively these teams are seen, live, by millions of people every year. Both teams train tirelessly, year round, and are the undisputed experts at precision aerobatic maneuvers. Both teams fly cutting edge fighter jets that represent the pinnacle of aerospace engineering and they represent the finest brand in the world – The United States of America.

www.blueangels.navy.mil/

http://thunderbirds.airforce.com/

#3. The Goodyear Blimp

The first time I saw the Good Year Blimp I was playing catch in my front yard. I heard the distinctive, slow-moving prop overhead, looked up and there was that massive silver and blue blimp floating right over my house. Goodyear has been flying their blimps for over 80 years and today there are three blimps in their fleet: the Spirit of Goodyear, the Spirit of America and the Spirit of Innovation. What All-Star Game, World Series, Super Bowl or NASCAR race would be complete without the Goodyear Blimp? If you’re one of the blimp pilots and ever in the St. Louis area, look me up, I’d love to take a spin over a Cardinals game with you.  www.goodyearblimp.com

#2. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

This is one of the most recognizable, unique and long-running branded custom vehicle on the road today. It started its journey on the blue highways in 1936 and is still turning heads wherever it goes. I wish I had been in the room when this idea was hatched. “Hey, I’ve got an idea, let’s build a giant hot dog on wheels and drive it around the country.” This branded all-beef wiener continues to log thousands of miles every year from coast to coast. Every household I’ve ever been in seems to have a couple of those little red Wienermobile whistles in the toy box – that’s what I call marketing.

http://hotdoggerblog.com

#1. The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale Hitch

Our choice for number one is actually no surprise, we are after all based in St. Louis. There is no other vehicle, plane, wagon, boat or balloon that stirs the soul quite like the pounding hoofs and rolling red wagon that is the World Famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale Hitch. It’s been the undisputed champion of mobile marketing since it was introduced on April 17, 1933 when August Busch Jr. rolled out the first case of beer after Prohibition was repealed. Today the hitches travel over 100,000 miles each year in North America and occasionally crosses the ocean for international appearances. There are actually five active hitches around the country, each weighing in at around 12 tons! Each Clydesdale weighs in around 2,200 lbs, is eighteen hands tall at the shoulder (that’s six feet tall for us non-equestrian types), eats 20 to 25 quarts of grain, 50 to 60 pounds of hay and drinks thirty gallons of beer, I mean water, a day. What a magnificent icon and clear choice for The Top Marketing Vehicle of All Time.

www.anheuser-busch.com/historyClydesdales.html

Runner Up: The Worlds Largest Tonka Truck

Okay, yes, we created it but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still one of the coolest mobile vehicles ever.  This giant toy dump truck is identical in every respect to the real kid-sized Tonka Truck. It stands at an impressive 10.5 feet tall from the bottom of its 500 lb. tires to the top of its red handled bucket and it tips the scales at just over 6 tons! The kicker is that it’s highway legal and actually cruises at 60 mph – we prefer to chauffeur it from place to place in the comfort of its own flatbed trailer. It was built for our good friends at Hasbro for the 60th anniversary of the Tonka Truck. It has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on the Ellen Show while collecting toy donations for Toys For Tots with the U.S. Marines.

http://www.promotion1.com/

After 75 years the Clydesdales, Wienermobile and Goodyear Blimp are still in the field and air, still capturing the attention of media, crowds and now the internet. You have to believe that those companies really do get it when it comes to experiential and mobile-vehicle marketing. If you think we may have missed one, jump right in below and share your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you.

Pro Motion is a St. Louis based experiential marketing firm with over 15 years in business, bringing some of the best brands in the world face-to-face with their best customers. We hire the most exceptional brand ambassadors in the field and thoroughly train them so they become true extensions of the brands they represent. A full 35% of our brand ambassadors have been hired, full-time, by our clients. And we have a 95% retention rate with our clients! That’s remarkable.

Call us directly at 314-997-0101 or check us out at www.promotion1.com

Pro Motion – Pure Enthusiasm!

Anheuser-Busch InBev., the world’s largest brewer, plans to raise beer prices this fall in most of its U.S. markets.

Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/25/news/companies/anheuser_busch/index.htm?section=money_topstories

Anheuser-Busch InBev., the world’s largest brewer, plans to raise beer prices this fall in most of its U.S. markets.

Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/25/news/companies/anheuser_busch/index.htm?section=money_topstories

Não não, este post é em português mesmo. Só a chamada, que desafia quem acha alguma coisa daquela outra coisa… o estrangeirismo! Tudo a ver com consumismo. “Ismos” para começar a semana…

Daniel Pinheiro

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Copa de 2014 já gera “corrida de marcas”

Empresas vão usar o torneio da África do Sul, no ano que vem, como laboratório de estratégias para o Brasil

Gazeta do Povo Online: Publicado em 17/08/2009 | Agência Estado

São Paulo – A Copa do Mundo de Futebol ainda demora cinco anos para chegar ao Brasil, mas as empresas já começam a se movimentar para garantir espaços para suas marcas durante a competição. “Estamos atentos a todas as parcerias que possam potencializar nossos investimentos como patrocinadores globais da Fifa”, diz o diretor executivo da Visa do Brasil, Luis Cassio de Oliveira. A operadora de cartões de crédito fechou há dois anos um contrato de dez anos com a Fifa para patrocinar a Copa do Mundo. Embora não se divulgue valores, o mercado estima que cada cota valha cerca de US$ 80 milhões.

A mobilização que a Copa já provoca é sintetizada por um especialista em promover eventos e “ativações de marca” – as intervenções para chamar atenção do consumidor em vários formatos e locais –, José Victor Oliva, diretor-geral da Holding Clube, um grupo de sete empresas no segmento. “As marcas que quiserem fincar bandeiras associando sua imagem ao futebol terão de experimentar soluções e observar as tendências da Copa de 2010, na África do Sul. Será um grande ensaio para ver como esse megaevento funciona e o que é possível replicar.”

Um exemplo dessa preocupação está na pressa de algumas empresas para garantir espaço fora das áreas oficiais, reservadas aos patrocinadores. O presidente da Cervejaria Schincariol, Adriano Schincariol, viajou à África do Sul para negociar a instalação de bares temáticos para as suas marcas premium, caso de Baden Baden e Eisenbahn, cervejas mais adequadas ao frio – afinal, a Copa na África será no inverno. A sua arquirrival AmBev pega carona nessa Copa no fato de uma das patrocinadoras oficiais ser a marca Budweiser, do grupo belgo-brasileiro InBev, do qual faz parte. Seu executivo de marketing, Carlos Lisboa, enviou uma equipe para lá, com a finalidade de não só posicionar as marcas brasileiras durante os jogos, como também “aprender táticas” para 2014.

Essa disputa promete se acirrar cada vez mais. “Temos de aproveitar ao máximo as estratégias que nos associem ao futebol nos próximos dez anos. Se o concorrente dá descontos de 50% nos ingressos de partidas de futebol (o Banco Itaú tem essa promoção no ar, em uma associação com a Mastercard), nós oferecemos áreas exclusivas em estádios e vamos expandir isso até 2014”, diz Oliveira, da Visa. “Vamos também estimular ações como as que levarão clientes para ver os jogos na África do Sul.”

Na última Copa do Mundo, na Alemanha, a Visa ficou de fora do patrocínio global. Mas isso não impediu a empresa de marcar presença entre os torcedores em ações regionais. Tanto que, como lembra Oliveira, a companhia promoveu no Brasil uma estratégia de espalhar televisores de plasma por 1,8 mil bares do país. Para ficar com o aparelho, os donos dos lugares tinham de garantir uma meta de pagamento em cartões Visa. Quase todos chegaram lá.

Gerald Sindell

A co-founder of Thought Leaders International (TLI), Sindell guides leaders and organizations of all kinds to maximize their return on the most precious capital of all: their capacity. Whether it is the skills or idealism of a leader, or the enormous latent human capital typically underused in even the greatest organizations, becoming an innovative person or inculcating a culture of innovation in an organization is the best long-term strategy for living a life or creating a thriving company. He is an award-winning Hollywood film director and as a book developer, editor, and eventually founder and publisher of Tudor Publishing and Knightsbridge Publishing, Sindell has helped shape many books and careers, having put more than 75,000,000 books in print. The ideas and methodologies Sindell develops with his clients reach most of the Fortune 500 and the Global 2000 directly or indirectly. From GE to State Farm, Alcoa to InBev, Yahoo! to Booz Allen, TLI’s clients are changing the world every day by providing thought leadership that improves lives. His book The Genius Machine: The 11 Steps That Turn Raw Ideas into Brilliance was recently published by New World Library.

Here is a brief excerpt from my interview of Sindell.

Morris: Why did you select Endleofon (END-leo-fahn) for the name of the system you devised for developing intellectual property?

Sindell: When I had gathered all the dozens of things that I think are important to consider when we’re thinking through something, I gathered them into categories, like distinctions, or testing, or advocacy. When I had crunched them down to the absolute minimum numbers of groups, I had eleven. Any smaller number of buckets and it would have been blurring important distinctions, so eleven became the irreducible number. I looked around for a way to name this eleven-dimensioned process, found an old English word for eleven, endleofon, and made it mine. The dot com URL was available, so that iced it for me.

Morris: The book’s subtitle refers to “the 11 steps that turn raw ideas into brilliance.” Where do these raw ideas come from and how are they generated?

Sindell: When I finished the book and once the publisher and I had settled on the title, I spent a bit of time puzzling about the machine nature of the process — was the process in the machine? Could we really drop our ideas in it, turn the crank, and get brilliant solutions? I think at first that the book functions that way — the process is outside of us. But as many reviewers, including you, observed, the book just seems like so much common sense. And I like that reaction. It means there’s something in our gut that tells us this makes a lot of sense.

So the use of the book then begins to enter a second phase. And it starts almost from the beginning. Before long I think people will be checking back to the book less and less, since they will have internalized the process. It will simply become the way they think.

That’s when I began to wonder if the book would make people smarter, since they would now be thinking things through more thoroughly. I’m planning to give seminars about the book and helping people internalize the process. I think the Endleofon process can make people smarter — a lot more acute in their thinking — and we can do it in a one-day workshop.

If you wish to read the complete interview, please contact me at interllect@mindspring.com.

Sindell invites you to visit these Web sites:

http://thoughtleadersintl.com/

http://www.endleofon.com/

Magic Hat is asking Americans to urge President Obama to drink craft beer at his “beer summit” this evening.  Check out their release.  Silly or substantial?

South Burlington, VT – July 30th, 2009 - In the wake of the recent arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, President Obama has called a Beer Summit between himself, Gates and his arresting officer, James Crowley. The meeting, set to take place at the White House at 6pm this evening, will see the three men drinking beers of their choice. Their choices, however, have American Craft Brewers up in arms. For Obama: Bud Light. For Gates: Red Stripe. For Crowley: Blue Moon.

Craft Brewers the country over are chagrined by the President’s choice to consume a beer owned by a company based outside of America’s borders. Bud Light, owned by Belgium-based AB InBev, and Blue Moon, owned by London-based SAB MillerCoors, together control 94% of the beer market in the United States. However, the United States boasts over 1,500 craft brewers, the majority being made up of small Main Street Businesses that employ less than 50 people. In the humble opinions of Magic Hat and American Craft Brewers, it would be a strong show of support for American businesses for President Obama to embrace the free and diverse expression that comes with each American-made craft beer.

Magic Hat Brewing Company urges its thirsty nation to contact the White House directly to ask President Obama to drink American Craft Beer, perhaps one of Magic Hat’s wide array distinctive beers, like the not quite pale ale, #9, the Irresistible Pale Ale, Lucky Kat or the unfiltered and unfettered Circus Boy.

Circus Boy is a great choice… unfortunately Obama didn’t make it to Thirsty Monk last night for a free Pint Glass at our Circus Boy Pint Night (next week is New Belgium 1554, Mothership, Fat Tire)…

But, we do have the FIRST WEDGE CASK EVER tonight!!!  And get this: it’s Double Dry Hopped Wedge IPA. There’s still time.

Missouri: one of the few states to fail overall in electoral voting for President Obama.

Thus, is it an unlikely coincidence that the President has begun to enjoy several Missouri-based products above all others??

Campaigning for politicians never really stops, and the Democratic party has already expressed hope that the American people will continue their displeasure for the Bush administration through the next election cycle.

Missouri has obviously enjoyed their President’s recent infatuation two of its products: Bud Light beer and Pi, a San Francisco-style pizza found in Saint Louis.

A recent article displays our President’s appreciation for a good Bud:

“At 6pm today, a beer war of international scope will begin. That’s because the participants in the Beer Summit — President Barack H. Obama, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, and Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sargent James Crowley — will each be drinking different beers.”

And yes, Obama will be sipping a Bud Light, a favorite in Saint Louis, MO. To be fair, Anheiser-Busch and InBev are based here and in Europe because of a recent sell, but the Bud factories in Saint Louis represent the greatest American base for these products.

Even more surprisingly, Obama has opted against his native Chicago-style pizza and has shown that he is partial to pizza from Pi, a small pizza business in the Delmar Loop in Saint Louis. Obama has even brought in Pi chefs to make this famed pizza at his White House home.

So, whether it’s Obama’s small attempt to latch onto more Missourian votes next election cycle, or simply the President recognizing quality products when he sees them, Missouri appreciates its new-found fame.

Tonight is the night of the “Beer Summit” whereby President Barack Obama has invited Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Cambridge, Massachusetts police Sergeant James Crowley to the White House for a beer in the hopes of easing the tensions that emerged from Crowley’s arresting Gates and the president’s comment that the police had “acted stupidly.” The beers they will be drinking? Henry Gates Jr. will be quaffing Red Stripe, a Jamaican beer by the premium drink company Diageo; President Obama will be having Bud Lite, owned by InBev a Belgian beverage corporation; and Sgt. Crowley will be imbibing Blue Moon, owned by MillerCoors. And there it is: Red, White (Lite?…okay it’s a stretch), and Blue.

By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek, BusinessWeek

Meet Me in St. Louis for MLB All-Star Break 2009
What a difference a year makes. While it’s been 43 years since the last time St. Louis hosted Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, the economics surrounding the event have perhaps changed more dramatically in the past 12 months than they have in the four decades.

That, of course, has as much to do with the circumstances surrounding last year’s Midsummer Classic—the last such event to be held at old Yankee Stadium—as it does with the recession. Last year’s All-Star game created an unprecedented economic impact of nearly $150 million—more than double the estimated $60 million this year’s July 10-14 events at Busch Stadium in St. Louis are likely to bring in.

This year, about 230,000 people are expected to attend part of the weeklong celebration, according to the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Assn. Almost half of those fans are anticipated to come from out of town, partially since only about 1,000 tickets—less than 3% of the normal capacity at Busch Stadium—have been made available to the general public. Direct visitor spending on Cardinals operations and on hotels, dining, and retail is expected to top $32 million, triggering another $27 million in indirect spending in the region.

In keeping with the economic climate, MLB and the host Cardinals are emphasizing elements of community service and charity like never before. MLB anticipates generating up to $5 million for national and local charities including Stand Up to Cancer and Cardinals Care, while most sponsors of the event, including heavy hitters Anheuser-Busch, InBev and Pepsi, are incorporating cause-related marketing efforts.

While St. Louis is the host city for the All-Star Game, MLB pays most of the bills and hires vendors and businesses for All-Star-related events, focusing heavily on local companies and minority and women-owned businesses, while the Cardinals have been planning every aspect of the celebration since 2006. Under baseball’s guidance, caterers, event planners, hotels, restaurants, bars, limo drivers, and many others are stepping up to the plate this weekend.

Over 2,500 members of the press from around the world have requested credentials in St. Louis, representing a tremendous opportunity for St. Louis to market itself. More than 100 million households tune in to the game itself on FOX, and to ESPN’s Home Run Derby; the events are broadcast in 225 countries in 12 different languages.

Tickets to the All-Star Game range from $100 to $360. Last week, SRO tickets on StubHub were listed at $362 apiece; bleacher seats are priced at $550, and some field box tickets are set at $2,500. EBay is offering two diamond box seats for $6,500.

MLB All-Star Break: The Buzz and the Events
“One swing of the bat, 1 million tickets…No pressure. We play in New York,” said Mets third baseman David Wright on ABC’s Good Morning America, about a promotion in which 1 million fans could win tickets to the July 24 opening of Disney’s G-Force movie if a member of the National League squad hits a grand slam during this year’s All-Star Game. That level of drama pretty much summarizes all the events comprising the All-Star Break.

St. Louis hosted a weeklong extravaganza of All-Star activities, including FanFest at America’s Center, the Home Run Derby, a 5K fun run, a red carpet parade, lots of sponsor parties. And that’s all before the All-Star Game itself.

Elvis Costello joined Missouri native and nine-time Grammy Award winner Sheryl Crow at the 2009 MLB All-Star Charity Concert.

An event under the Gateway Arch was free to fans and presented by Pepsi, which is also financing complimentary streaming on MLB.com. Budweiser, Taco Bell, and Sharp are also backing the event, a benefit for Stand Up to Cancer; MLB donated $1 million to the organization. Between 60,000 and 70,000 people attended.

Not long after the final crack of Monday’s Home Run Derby, roughly 4,000 people took the party even farther, outside of Busch Stadium to a massive tent in Ballpark Village for the All-Star Gala. Invited guests enjoyed food created by St. Louis chefs and hot local bands. After these guests faded away, a new wave of workers clocked in at 2:30 a.m. to start setting up for the All-Star Pregame Party.

While there are fewer than 70 All-Star players, it takes a very deep roster of dedicated people to pull off the series of events surrounding the game year after year.

MLB All-Star Break: The Techno Side
Each year, it seems, baseball gets more tech-savvy. This season, baseball’s signature Advanced Media group is poised to break a record for online All-Star Game fan voting after passing the 200 million vote mark late last Wednesday night.

According to MLBAM, last year’s fan voting generated 214.7 million votes, with more than 41 million votes being cast on the final day. 2009 voting concluded at midnight last Thursday night. Once again, the National League’s Albert Pujols was the leading vote-getter for the Midsummer Classic, collecting 5,397,374 votes, the second-highest total in MLB history behind Ken Griffey, Jr.’s 6 million votes in 1994. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was the leading vote-getter in the American League.

MLBAM has also announced a mobile premium product for the new Palm Pre smart phone. The MLB.com Mobile Premium for the Pre contains many of the same features as the popular MLB.com At Bat app, including live audio feeds, in-game video highlights, and greatly expanded scoreboards. The mobile Web-based product will go for $14.99 for the rest of the season, including the postseason, or can be had for $2.99 per month.

Not to be digitally outdone, Fox Sports will expand its @mlbonfox Twitter account during the MLB All-Star Game. Announcers will tweet during the game, while reporter Ken Rosenthal will answer Twitter-submitted questions.

For the full story.