Alcohol News July 2003

Assessing the effectiveness of minimum legal drinking age and zero tolerance laws in the United States
Accident Analysis & Prevention 2003 Jul; 35(4):579-87
Using data from 1982 to 1997, research indicates that [at least a substantial portion] of the decline in alcohol-positive involvement in fatal crashes by youth under the age of 21 can be attributed to the passing of two youth specific laws: 1) the raising of the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) to 21, and 2)the establishment of zero tolerance laws (0.02% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for drivers under 21). The study, which looks at all 50 states plus the D.C., takes into account "potential confounding variables" such as seat belt laws and alcohol consumption.
The study does not address changes in the national norm brought about by citizen activist groups since the early 1980's (including shifts in public attitude toward and media press coverage of the drinking-and-driving issue). However, the authors argue that due to the fact that the decline in alcohol related deaths has not decreased as much by people over 21, the laws have contributed to the decline among youth and that public attitudes and media coverage could not account for the entire decline.

Nordic nanny states fret over Viking drink
Reuters, 7/28/o3
Blame it on the long, cold winters, the bright summer nights or the fermented herring that can only be stomached when numb with alcohol, but the Nordics have a weakness for drink -- when they can get it.
(fulltext of article)

AB will add 2 more Calif branches; big buy of Lewis family distribs' 9.5 Mil cases
Beer Marketer's Insights, 34(14) July 28, 03
In a recent blockbuster deal Anheuser-Busch (A-B) has acquired two A-B distribution companies from the Lewis family.
Antelope Valley Distributors and Foothill Beverage Company--one of the nation's largest A-B distributors--distribute about 9.5 million cases annually. Antelope Valley Distributors also distributes Labatt, Heineken, and other smaller brands, but will sell-off non-A-B brands as part of the deal.
With this latest distributor buyout deal, expected to close in Sept. A-B will now have 7 branches in Southern California alone, distributing a total of 37 million cases. That is 25 percent of the business in California and 50% of the business in Southern California. Southern California now has THE heaviest concentration of A-B distributors in the world.
Related QUIZ of the Day:
Diageo has had some success in making exclusive distribution deals with their distributors in the United States. In light of this tactic paying off, is Anheuser-Busch:
(A) also positioning themselves as their own middle-men for the distribution of a distilled spirits based product or products (ie. non-malt alcopops)?
(B) paving the way for the distribution of Anheuser World Select?
(C) just in In Southern California, the land of Disney, and following a corporate stop-just-short-of-total-monopoly model?
(D) ALL OF THE ABOVE

New Wine Institute chief has family in White House
SF CHronicle, 7/24/03
"...Koch's tenure at the Wine Institute started with a high-profile shift in his personal life: He became engaged in 1992 to the president's daughter. As chief of staff to Majority Leader Dick Gephart of Missouri, Koch was one of the most powerful Democratic staffers in the capital and his defection stunned Washington...Koch's ascendence marks a critical changing of the guard for the Institute, California wine's key advocate on export assistance, government funding and federal and state tax and trade policy. The Institute also leads the effort to reform direct shipping laws in state legislatures, working closely with groups that are pursuing the issue in the federal court system..."
(fulltext of article)

New BAILEYS Minis to Prove 'Good Things Come in Small Packages'
PR Newswire, 7/23/03
"BAILEYS Minis, a 100-ml single serve version of BAILEYS Original Irish Cream, are being launched this month...The convenient size of BAILEYS Minis gives consumers the opportunity to enjoy BAILEYS more regularly and with greater accessibility. Its portable size perfectly lends itself to being brought along to picnics, barbeques and beach parties..."
(fulltext of PR Newswire)

Prohibition Ends! California Ratifies 21st Amendment 70 Years Ago Tomorrow
PR Newswire, 7/23/03
"Prohibition drip by drip is the anti-alcohol movement's agenda today," said John Doyle, Executive Director of ABI, "This modern prohibitionist movement is eerily similar to the movement that gave us the 18th Amendment. Like the early twentieth century prohibitionists, it is well organized, it is self-righteous, and it has sympathetic ears in the media. And considering that nearly all of its supporters seem to be bankrolled in some way by the $8 billion Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), it's even better funded than its pre-Jazz Age forbear."
(fulltext of Newswire)
Related Quotes:
"Nearly every study disparaging alcohol in the mass media, every legislative push to limit marketing or increase taxes, and every supposedly "grassroots" anti-alcohol movement was conceived and coordinated at the RWJF's headquarters. Thanks to this one foundation, the U.S. anti-alcohol movement speaks with one voice." : (SPECIAL REPORT: Behind the Neo-Prohibition Campaign, 4/10/03)

7-ELEVEN SAYS HOLA! TO SANTIAGO CERVEZA DE ORO(TM)
PR Newswire 7/23/03
7-Eleven, the nation's largest convenience retailer -- and largest seller of cold beer -- is taking advantage of the growth in the import beer industry and leveraging their success with proprietary brands by introducing Santiago Cerveza De Oro this month. The beer is targeted toward the young drinker due to their willingness to try new products.
"Imported from El Salvador, Santiago Cerveza De Oro is brewed by Cerveceria La Constancia. Cerveceria La Constancia is a wholly owned, independently operated subsidiary of BevCo, which is in a joint venture with London-based SAB Miller, the parent company of Miller Brewing Company."
(fulltext of Newswire)

Study Faults Plan to Curb Campus Drinking
Wall Street Journal, 7/24/03, p. B1
A study to be published in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol by the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) has found no drop in the drinking on student campuses that use social norms marketing techniques in their prevention efforts. In fact, the study showed that drinking actually increased on some measures at schools that implemented these programs. The technique, promoted by the alcohol industry, focuses on reducing heavy drinking rather than discouraging or prohibiting alcohol use altogether. A spokesperson for Anheuser Busch asserts that social norms programs have made a positive change in student behavior by setting expectations for positive behavior. Critics of the approach argue that "the approach focuses responsibility on the individual and ignores the way products are marketed to college students, including underage drinkers."
Related Links:
Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) Homepage
Google News Search with fulltext articles on Harvard Study
Reports on College Drinking : (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
Preventing Problems Related to Alcohol Availability: Environmental Approaches : (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1999)

Budweiser, Miller, and Coors in Top 200 brands for Ad spending in U.S.
AdAge, 7/21/03, pp. S-1 to S-8
The top 3 mega-beer-brands made it once again into the AdAge special report "Full-Year 2002 Top 200 megabrands." At no. 31, Anheuser Busch spent $252.8 million on measured U.S. advertising spending for Bud and Bud Light. Miller beers came in at no. 51 with $201.8 million Coors brands had $172.3 million worth of media saturation The article has a breakdown of spending by medium. Only Miller had a decline in ad spending of 9.9% from 2001. Bud beers were up 10.9% and Coors spending was up 6.9%.
See Also:
TV by the numbers: Top 50 Network TV Advertisers : (AdAge, 5/12/03)
TOP 10 ADVERTISERS IN 12 MEASURED MEDIA : (AdAge, 2003) Note: Anheuser Busch and SABMiller are in top 10 for outdoor advertising

Study to Look at Young Adults as They Move from Being Social Drinkers to Developing Drinking Problems
Research Institute on Addictions Press Release, 7/15/03
"Researchers with the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) have been awarded a four-year, $1,569,584 grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to study the development of drinking problems by young adults.
R. Lorraine Collins, Ph.D., lead investigator on the study who is a senior research scientist at RIA, said the study involving young adults between the ages of 21 and 30 who drink alcohol will examine the role of affect and mood in alcohol use..."
(fulltext of press release)

Did you drink 31.5 gallons of beer last year?
"The U.S. Beer Market, 2003" has arrived!
According to the Impact "The U.S. Beer Market," total alcoholic beverage sales rose 1.5 percent in 2002. (beer rose 0.9%, wine up 5.5%, distilled spirits up 1.4%, ready to drinks were up 15.8%, and cider was down 20.9%) Beer maintains nearly 85% of alcohol market, though adult per capita consumption was down 0.1%.
The top 5 consumption states, CA, TX, FL, NY and PA, accounted for 35% of per capita consumption. Averages say that every Californian drank 28.9 gallons of beer in 2002, just below the national per capita consumption rate of 31.5 gallons. Nevada led the nation, at 46.0 gallons (or about 490 12-ounce cans) per person.
PA, IL, KS, WV, WA, and FL showed the largest gains in per capita consumption (from 5% in PA to 3% in FL). Consumer preferences for beer segments vary by market.
Total alcohol beverage media expenditures jumped 14% in 2002 to $1.7 billion. Media spending on beer rose 8% to $974 million, or 16 cents per gallon sold. Media spending on RTD's doubled to $196.3 million, or $1.07 per gallon sold! Total beer advertising by medium in 2002 is as follows:
Network Television - - $512.2 million
Spot Television - - $139.9 million
Cable Television - - $128.0 million
Syndicated Television - - $14.1 million
Spot Radio - - $10.3 million
Network Radio - - $6.0 million
Magazines - - $45.0 million
Newspapaers - - $10.9 million
Newspapers Supplements - - $3.2 million
Outdoor - - $104.7 million

SAB/Miller spending $50m to promote ´real´ Pilsner in U.S.: Pilsner Urquell targets U.S. market
Prague Business Journal, 7/21/03
Article discusses global advertising strategy for #2 international beer producer SAB/Miller and the company's plan to spend 10 percent of the $500 million dollars it has earmarked for advertising to promote the Czech beer Pilsner Urquell in the U.S. The massive $50 million campaign, produced by ad agency Ogilvy & Mather will kick-off in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle and Atlanta with the slogan, "Have you tried the Pilsner that invented Pilsner?"
The article argues that despite a mere 1.4 percent growth in the $60 billion U.S. Beer industry in 2002, import beer sales rose 6 percent, for a total of 11 percent of U.S. beer sales. SAB's attempts to make Pislner Urquell a major brand in the U.S. will be difficult in the face of competitor Anheuser-Busch's (A-B) ad spending. A-B is reported to have spent $800 million on advertising last year. A-B spent $24 million of that budget (or half of SAB's total budget for Pilsner Urquell) in three hours on Super Bowl spots alone.
(fulltext of article)
See Also:
"Pilsner Urquell to Boost Production in Quest for Major Global Presence." Impact
Global News and Research for the Drinks Executive, 33(13). July 1, 2003.

Letters to the Editor: We Need National Strategy To Reduce Teen Drinking
Wall Street Journal, 7/22/03
John C. Nelson, president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA) responds to the July 11, 2003 Wall Street Journal article, "Amid Fight Over Teen Drinking, Panel Weighs New Tax on Alcohol." In agreeing with the article, Nelson reminds readers of the health and behavioral risks associated with underage drinking and states that 11 million underage youth drink and that 7 million of these youth are binge drinkers.
Nelson, in behalf of the AMA, argues that the alcohol industry is attempting to unduly influence the upcoming National Academy of Sciences (NAS) review of underage drinking by applying pressure to the White House and Congress through attacks on the scientists that were selected for the Study. He urges the NAS and the Institute of Medicine boards to block these attempts.
Related Link:
National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center summary of WSJ article : "Amid Fight Over Teen Drinking, Panel Weighs New Tax on Alcohol" Wall Street Journal (07/11/03) P. A1; Wilke, John R.; Lawton, Christopher

Hip-Hop Saves The Cognac Liquor Industry
SOHH.com, 7/18/03
"Emcees as diverse as Common and Snoop have long lauded Cognac as a drink of choice, with more recent references in last year's hit single Pass The Courvoisier which featured a video showcasing Busta, Pharrell and P. Diddy partying it up in a bar filled with beautiful women and hundreds of gleaming bottles of Courvoisier...According to the Wall Street Journal, Hennessy, America's biggest Cognac brand with 53% of the market, claims that young blacks represent 60% to 85% of U.S. sales..."
(fulltext of article)
See Also:
"Napoleon's Nightcap Gets a Good Rap From Hip-Hop Set: Cognac Producers May Not Speak Jay-Z's Language, But They Like the Plugs," Wall Street Journal, 7/14/03, p. A1.

Dealing With Addiction, and What Comes After
NY Times, 7/20/03
"Addiction costs corporate America billions of dollars a year in lost productivity, absenteeism and higher health care expenses. It also derails many once-promising careers...
'I don't think you're going to find a lot of C.E.O.'s smoking pot or snorting cocaine in the company restroom,' Dr. Siegel said, 'but we are seeing executives abusing alcohol and popping prescription drugs'..."
(fulltext of article)

Going up, and down, in the spirit world
Financial Times, 7/18/03
"A strange thing is happening at chic fundraisers and galas these days. Instead of champagne, those tuxedo-clad folk stationed at the entrance are bearing trays of . . . vodka."
(fulltext of article)
Related Factoid:
Absolut Vodka commissioned Andy Warhol for a print ad in 1985. The resulting piece, "Absolut Warhol" kicked off a major campaign in which hundreds of artists were commissioned to paint versions of the Absolut bottle. Why did Warhol take the $65,000 to paint a vodka bottle when he didn't even drink alcohol? He liked using it as a type of cologne...
See Also:
Absolut-ly art : Exhibit highlights vodka maker's ad campaign : (CNN, 5/5/2000)

We need to get serious to break alcohol-teen violence link
Times Leader, 7/20/03
In this article, State executive director of MADD Pennsylvania, Rebecca Shaver, advocates use of keg tagging as a primary means of reducing underage drinking:
"A videotape of teenage girls beating up other girls at a powder-puff football game in a Chicago suburb has refocused our attention on underage drinking. The behavior of the students involved is shocking and is being punished through the school and courts.
What is perhaps more shocking is the involvement of parents. It is clear that alcohol contributed to the violence. Two parents have been charged..."
(fulltext of article)

Budweiser forms alliance with Williams F1 team
USA Today 7/16/03
"BMW team on the Formula One racing circuit will have Budweiser as a sponsor through 2008, the company said Wednesday. The move could eventually facilitate getting an American driver onto Europe's elite series..."
(fulltext of article)

ECONOMIC SCENE; A LOOK AT WINE SALES OVER THE INTERNET SHOWS THE PRICE OF SOME REGULATIONS IN THE NAME OF CONSUMER PROTECTION
NY Times, 7/17/03
..."State regulations passed long before anyone conceived of electronic commerce block direct Internet sales in a number of industries, from contact lenses to automobiles. These laws were often passed in the name of consumer protection.
But do those benefits outweigh their negative effects on electronic commerce? The agency charged with protecting consumer welfare by ensuring competition -- the Federal Trade Commission -- wants to know...
(fulltext of article)

Do House Party Ordinance Laws Tackle Underage Drinking?
KPBS News, SAN DIEGO, 7/15/03
"To cut down on underage drinking, a number of local cities have recently passed so-called House Party ordinances. These laws make it a crime for adults to host underage drinking parties in private homes. Alcohol control advocates say the measures should help reduce youth access to booze. But some say the laws alone won't solve the problem..."
(fulltext of transcript)

Alcohol industry girds for battle over teen drinking report
Knight-Ridder Washington Bureau, 7/15/03
"Even before its release, a report on teen drinking has drawn charges of bias from the $110 billion-a-year alcohol industry, an intense lobbying campaign, and congressional warnings not to interfere with the industry's marketing...Activists fighting underage drinking hope - and some in the alcohol industry worry - that the report will spur aggressive anti-alcohol initiatives similar to anti-smoking campaigns..."
(fulltext of article)
Related Link:
The NHSDA Report: Alcohol Use by Persons Under the Legal Drinking Age of 21

California State University's First Alcohol Report Highlights Steps Forward
AScribe, 7/15/03
"In the two years since the CSU Board of Trustees approved a pioneering policy to curb student alcohol abuse, dramatic movement has occurred.
Called the most comprehensive alcohol policy of any university system in the country, it has produced a number of concrete results which indicate that the CSU is making inroads into the national problem of alcohol abuse at the university level. CSU Trustees will discuss the findings at the July 16 board meeting..."
The report highlights findings of such results as:
*5-10% reduction in alcohol use
*10-15% reduction in student-related misconduct
*5-10% reduction in underage student alcohol consumption
*3-5% reduction in binge drinking
*20-25% decline in alcohol related judicial cases
*30% reduction in residential hall alcohol-related incidents
*20-30%reduction in DUI
*3-5% reduction in property damage caused by excessive drinking
(fulltext of AScribe Newswire)
Related Links:
CSU Committee on Educational Policy Agenda, July 16, 2003
Google News search results with related stories

Cops use'beer goggles' to fight drinking and driving
Hometown Life, 7/13/03
"Eaton County Fair goers were encouraged by the Charlotte Police Department to get the feeling of intoxication without touching any alcohol..."
(fulltext of article)

New Survey Shows Parents Troubled by Underage Drinking and Alcohol Companies' Advertising Practices
U.S. Newswire 7/14/03
"Two-thirds of parents say that seeing and hearing alcohol ads make teens more likely to drink alcohol, and almost three-quarters of parents say that alcohol companies are not doing enough to limit the amount of alcohol advertising that teens see, according to a survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and American Viewpoint for the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University..."
(Fulltext of Press Release)
Related Link:
Full Survey Results

Japanese tryout: a brew with your latte
SF Chronicle, 7/14/03
"Alcohol at Starbucks? The Kobe outlet, which quietly began selling such libations two years ago, is the only Starbucks in the world offering alcohol..."
(full text of article)

Alcohol-related incidents down at CSU campuses School administrators credit tougher prevention program
SF Chronicle, 7/8/03
"Campuses are integrating clear policies with consistent enforcement and backing it up with education...Among the preliminary results are a 5 to 10 percent drop in student alcohol use, a 20 to 25 percent decline in the number of student alcohol-related judicial cases, a 20 to 30 percent reduction in drunken-driving violations and a 3 to 5 percent fall in property damage caused by excessive drinking...Because many of the system's students are of legal drinking age and can go off campus for alcohol, the campuses had to create a relationship with the community and change the culture that encourages the use and abuse of alcohol..."
(fulltext of article)
See Also:
Alcohol abuse down at CSU campuses : (Daily Democrat 7/14/03)

College Study Says Some Heavy Drinkers Cut Back Before Graduating
Join Together Online, 7/10/03
"Researchers found that many college students who drink alcohol heavily while in school cut down on their drinking before graduation, according to a July 7 press release from Ohio State University (OSU)..."
(fulltext of JTO News Summary)
Related Link:
Ohio State University Press Release

First the target was tobacco. Then burgers. So how has Big Alcohol stayed out of the lawyers' sights?: When the branding message
Financial Times 7/8/03
"...While tobacco remains the most vilified of the legal vices, makers of fattening foods are now also being besieged by hostile lobby groups, lawyers, politicians and the media, all seeking to hold them to account for their customers' poor eating habits...In contrast - and to the private amazement of some food and tobacco executives - makers of alcoholic drinks have escaped the same level of scrutiny. This is perhaps surprising: drinkers after all cause or suffer a broader range of social ills than over-eaters, including road accidents, violent crime, unwanted pregnancies, marital breakdowns, disease and absenteeism..."
(fulltext of article)

U.S. DISTILLED SPIRITS CONSUMPTION INCREASES FOR THE SEVENTH TIME IN 10 YEARS
AP ALERT BUSINESS, 7/1/03
According to the 2003 edition of the Adams Liquor Handbook , distilled spirits consumption rose 2% in the U.S. in 2002 to 153.3 million 9-liter cases. Flavor and superpremium products are pushing the sector forward as a new "cocktail culture"--in which cocktails are viewed as a means of self-expression--is revived nationwide.
Consumption of whiskies rose 0.2% to 43.5 million cases, while non-whiskies climbed 2.7% to 109.8 million cases. Consumption of imported spirits climbed 4.6% against a relatively flat domestic market. This mirrors retail sales trends, which are rising faster than case sales. Consumer spending on distilled spirits is up 6.7% overall. Adams forecasts gains in spirits consumption again in 2003.

NBWA unveils new teen responsibility poster
Beverage World, v.122(6), 6/15/03
from BevBriefs, p. 11: The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) unveiled a new teen responsibility poster in April titled "What Do You Know About Alcohol." The poster--urging teens to resist peer pressure and to be aware of possible consequences of underage drinking--will be distributed to middle and high schools, community centers, and other high teen traffic areas.
Related Link:
NBWA press release of new poster : (NBWA, 4/24/03)

Nationwide Drunk-Driving Crackdown for Holiday
Join Together Online, 6/30/03
"Police throughout the country have begun an unprecedented 17-day law-enforcement campaign to crack down on drunk drivers as the Fourth of July holiday approaches.."
(Fulltext of JTO News Summary)