Market research
NBC is to pull five SABMiller ads off the air. The TV company advised Anheuser-Busch on Friday (17 December) that it believes the adverts make unsubstantiated claims about taste preference.
The decision came on the same day that AB announced that CBS also will pull three SABMiller ads because taste-test claims in the spots, which indicate a taste preference, are unsubstantiated.
"NBC's decision further supports what we have known all along - that SABMiller's taste-preference claims were not substantiated and their ads should be pulled," said Michael J. Owens, vice president of sales and marketing for Anheuser-Busch, Inc in a statement.
NBC will pull the same ads that CBS also found to be unsubstantiated.
In its decision, NBC said: "The 'Penalty on the King' commercial unfairly disparaged AB by claiming that the Bud delivery man is 'hiding something.'"
AB announced earlier on Friday that CBS will pull three SABMiller ads off the air, and two other discontinued ads that make claims about taste challenges in St. Louis and Chicago must be reviewed by CBS if SABMiller decides to run them on the network again.
"This is not about competition, it's about the truth and being honest with consumers," said Owens.
Sectors: Beer & cider
Companies: SABMiller
