A-B InBev Ignites Brewing Brouhaha

Ad sales execs are defying an Anheuser-Busch InBev directive that would have them wait as many as 120 days to be reimbursed for airtime, telling the Belgian-owned brewing giant to stick its ultimatum where the “zon don’t schijnen.”According to mulitple sources, all major broadcast and cable nets have condemnedA-B InBev’s unilateral order, refusing to comply with what one sales exec called “a shakedown.” The brewer has yet to respond to the opposition, which began fermenting on Feb. 5, after A-B InBev sent its media suppliers a letter spelling out the new payment schedule.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/national-broadcast/e3i801548f98188f77a3b9fb20321beec85

“Effective March 1, 2009, Anheuser-Busch ... will adopt the A-B InBev policy governing payment terms for media supplier invoices at 120 days,” read the memo, which was signed by vp, procurement, Tom Adamitis and vp, finance, David Almeida. A-B InBev added that a failure to respond by Feb. 28 would constitute compliance.