A-B Mingles on Social Net

NEW YORK Anheuser-Busch is bringing its “Here’s to beer” campaign to social networking, but the brewing giant is skipping heavyweight MySpace for newer entrant MingleNow.

The company has kicked off a “Clink” promotion on MingleNow, a social network that only launched in December, which invites users to submit and share photos of them out and about “clinking” beer. It is meant to drive home the 18-month-old campaign’s message that “beer brings people together,” said Tom Shipley, director for global industry development at Anheuser-Busch, in order to set it apart from wine and liquor, which have been cutting into beer consumption in recent years.

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