With the July 4th weekend just around the corner, Americans can still rely on the old saw: “This Bud is for you!” – at least for now.

Two weeks ago, we examined InBev’s offer to buy Anheuser-Busch and the public uproar that was brewing as a result. With last week’s announcement from Anheuser-Busch Chairman Patrick Stokes that A-B has formally rejected the $46.3 billion offer, A-B now stands on the threshold of taking back control of the communications element of this global business battle.

As the public debate over the offer and international implications it inspired got louder, Levick Senior Vice President and Corporate & Finance Practice Chair Michael Robinson offered his view on how A-B should respond in an interview for St.LouisToday.com, saying “The pressure is on [for A-B] to move as quickly as you can. Right now, InBev has defined the agenda.”

And A-B did just that through making its public statement that cited simple economics in rejecting the offer. It was a critical move – and one that put in place the framework to allow A-B to take back control of the story. And, just as important, A-B’s coordinated steps forward provide reassurance that the company knows how a takeover bid is likely to affect key audiences – shareholders and employees among them.

Pride that customers and Americans in general have for this venerable brand is well known. Smartly, A-B is putting that cache to work and building a strong defense against its unwanted suitor. That InBev will likely target shareholders if a hostile bid emerges is without question, they will. For A-B, the deciding factor is whether they can effectively frame this issue as one about an iconic brand, U.S. hegemony, and grassroots political action or whether the negotiation turns just on price. A-B can probably win in the Court of Public Opinion if it moves quickly and certainly can best its opponent on Capitol Hill, but if a full-out bidding war emerges, the outcome could be far from certain.