Anheuser-Busch Beef with MillerCoors Ad Claims Forwarded to FTC

NEW YORK, N.Y.Anheuser-Busch, LLC has a beef with certain advertising claims of its rival, MillerCoors, LLC.

Anheuser-Busch challenged its competitor's claims before the National Advertising Division (NAD), an investigative unit of the advertising industry's system of self-regulation. But NAD said MillerCoors refused to participate in a review of its claims, so it referred the matter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for further review.

NAD noted the challenged claims appeared on the Coors Light beer can, the product's packaging, social media websites and the Coors Light website, and in at least two TV commercials.

"A-B believes in the self-regulatory process and we are pleased that the NAD is escalating the claim," a spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch stated in an email. "The NAD has referred our claim to the FTC because MillerCoors has chosen not to participate in the self-regulatory process."

MillerCoors has characterized Anheuser-Busch's challenges as "frivolous" and defended its claims as "either puffery or literally truthful", according to NAD. But MillerCoors didn't provide any substantive response to Anheuser-Busch, the division said.

MillerCoors did not respond today to a request for comment.

Among the claims at issue:

"Anheuser-Busch also challenged the implied claim that Coors Light Beer cans are technologically superior to other beer cans, and provide a more refreshing beverage experience," NAD said.