Anheuser-Busch has agreed to a $50 billion takeover attempt from Belgium-based brewer InBev, according to a Reuters report.

The deal, which got off to a rocky start, will create the world's largest brewer. It also will mean that Anheuser-Busch, which spent in excess of $1.3 billion last year on advertising, according to AdAge, will likely find itself in the middle of a media shakeup in the coming months and years.

Although Anheuser-Busch spent only $10 million on digital last year, the company has been keen to experiment online, most notably with Bud.TV, which many now regard as an early attempt to seamlessly integrate entertainment and advertising.

But total spending aside, the deal is likely to spark a rather immediate marketing headache for Anheuser-Busch, which has traditionally billed its brews, chief among them Bud, as American institutions. That message is likely to need some help now that Anheuser-Busch will be controlled by a foreign brewer.

Although Anheuser-Busch has not made a public comment on the deal or the marketing ramifications of foreign ownership, the public outcry may have already begun. Upon hearing of the proposed deal, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama used the opportunity to score political points by decrying the idea of losing a brand that is synonymous with American patriotism to a foreign investor. 

Anheuser-Busch is also likely to hear sharp criticism from the marketing departments of its rivals. The brand once took jabs at Miller and Coors when they were sold to foreign firms, and that message is likely to boomerang on Anheuser-Busch.

The new company will be called Anheuser-Busch InBev.