Executives at Anheuser-Busch say they do not expect the beer maker's aggressive sports marketing and sponsorships to be affected by Belgian company InBev SA's takeover of the brewer. The Associated Press reported July 17 that company executives told the news service that spending in the athletic arena could actually increase in the future.

Some industry analysts have been speculating that InBev's reputation for cost-cutting could alter Anheuser-Busch's ubiquitous presence in the sports world, present everywhere from professional sports leagues in the United States to the sponsorship of 25 countries' teams attending next month's Summer Olympics. But leaders for both the U.S. and Belgian brewers say they have no plans to alter the kind of marketing that has made Anheuser-Busch such an attractive brand in the marketplace.

"They're not going to walk away from it and sports are so important for reaching consumers with us, and we're going to maintain the relationships and sponsorships that we have that work," said Dave Peacock, Anheuser-Busch's vice president for marketing.

In fact, one day after the $52 billion takeover of Anheuser-Busch became official this month, the beer maker renewed its multi-year contract with the National Basketball Association. In the same week, it extended its exclusive malt beverage sponsorship with the United States Olympic Committee through 2012.

Those who have hoped that the sale would result in less product promotion for alcoholic beverages during the sporting events so many Americans watch probably have little reason to expect this, according to one communications analyst. John Sweeney, director of sports communication at the University of North Carolina School of Journalism, said Anheuser-Busch's strategy of reaching large numbers of American males at one time through sports marketing certainly would be emulated by other brewers if the company's new owners decided to pull back from this approach.