• Ad Age, Thursday, September 10, 2009 10:28 AM

The Brunswick Group, which worked with InBev on last year's brawl of a takeover of Anheuser-Busch, is also orchestrating the communications barrage behind Kraft's bid for Cadbury, Jeremy Mullman and Emily Bryson York report.

"InBev's bid for A-B was backed by a detailed microsite full of fact sheets about the proposal and video messages from its CEO," they point out. "Kraft's version offers almost identical content."

Both efforts featured videos with the CEOs -- InBev's Carlos Brito and Kraft's Irene Rosenfeld -- fielding softball questions. They similarly discuss the opportunity to create a "global powerhouse," respect for the company being acquired, the perceived cultural fit, and the personal affection each CEO feels for the brands they want to acquire.

Mullman and York also point out that Kraft's media team has been extremely responsive to reporter's queries this week and suggest that the PR push has resulted in favorable coverage in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

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