Budweiser's "America" Extends to National Parks

The National Park Service agreed to a $2.5 million co-branding campaign with Anheuser-Busch back in January 2015, waiving a decades-old prohibition on agencies partnering with alcoholic beverage companies. One of the main goals of the campaign is to attract a younger audience to the national parks. However, the increase in the park service's push to increase traffic to the national parks - the parks drew a record 307 million people in 2015 - has also resulted in more wear-and-tear on roads and facilities that already needed repairs.

As the National Park Service turns 100 this year on August 25, 2016, expect Budweiser's "America" cans and other advertising to reach fever pitch. Is sponsorship such as this co-branding agreement good for the underfunded park service? Or will we end seeing the Grand Canyon brought to us by Budweiser? Or the Statue of Liberty's torch replaced by an "America" can? 

For more on the impact underfunding has on the National Park Service, click here.