Alcohol News June 2003

AlcoPop-cicles?
Freaky Ice is a new 4.6% alcohol Dutch product looking to expand their distribution globally. According to the distributor's product description, the product "started in the Dutch party scene and spread quickly. In hot crowded clubs and parties, creative organizers were looking for a way to refresh the crowd and add to the fun at the same time...Something self contained, easy to hand around to party goers, and refreshing at the same time was needed to keep the party hopping. ...they found the right mix of ingredients and packaged it in a squeeze tube which could easily be frozen...Freaky Ice, the only alcoholic frozen popsicle in the world."
Will these be coming to a country near you?
(Freaky Ice Homepage)
Related Links:
Sweden Bans Import of Alcohol Ice Pops : (Newsday, 6/25/03)
LICK YOURSELF TIPSY: Now it's alco-lollies : (Nettavisen, 6/25/03)

Continuous Alcohol-Monitoring Devices Under Development
Join Together Online, 6/16/03
"The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is awarding contracts to companies that develop devices that continuously monitor alcohol in a person's body, in particular truckers, airline pilots, and other workers..."
(fulltext of JTO story)

Bud Man and FedEx as a Direct Order Super-Duo?
According to a June 10, 2003 Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News article ("FedEx's Board of Directors Elects Two New Members") August A. Busch IV, president of Anheuser Busch Inc. has joined FedEx Corp.'s board of directors to serve on the compensations committee. What might the lobbying power of these two corporates do for direct shipping?
Related Links:
Direct Shipment Laws by State for Wineries : (Wine Institute, very current)
FedEx Terms and Conditions for Alcoholic Beverages

On the road: Chivas backs U.S. tour of Latin Rockers.
The Pernod-Ricard scotch brand Chivas Regal USA is taking its Hispanic marketing efforts on the road this summer. They will sponsor the Latin rock band La Ley on a 20 stop tour starting in New York on June 25 that will end in Los Angeles on July 27. The tour will be backed up with radio, online and out-of-home promotions. There will be ticket giveaways and contests, as well as sampling and signage in clubs and liquor stores in the markets where the tour will stop. Chivas marketing research found Hispanics (13% of U.S. population), account for 40% of U.S. sales. La Ley was found to have the most potential for targeting those consumers who believe music and lifestyle are important.
Advertising Age, 74 (22): 46, June 02, 2003

Absolut Partners With the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to Swing Open Closet Doors With Absolut Out
Absolut Reinforces Long-Term Commitment to the Gay Community
AP ALERT BUSINESS, 6/10/03
"ABSOLUT today announced ABSOLUT OUT, an advertising and awareness campaign that is the newest chapter in its 22-year history of support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The campaign consists of a traveling three-dimensional billboard, a national print spectacular advertising campaign and auctions of items from celebrity closets to raise money for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). The ABSOLUT OUT billboard features nine closed closet doors in the shape of the iconic ABSOLUT bottle which, when opened, celebrate the diversity and creativity within the gay and lesbian community..."
Related Links
Absolut announces gay marketing campaign : (The Advocate, 6/12/03)
Drabble, L (2001). Ethical Funding: The Ethics of Tobacco, Alcohol & Pharmaceutical Funding: A Practical Guide for LGBT Organizations. Coalition of Lavender Americans on Smoking and Health (CLASH) & Progressive Research and Training for Action (PRTA). Can be ordered from the Tobacco Education Clearinghouse of California (TECC)

MU STUDY FINDS THAT EVEN LOW-LEVEL CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL INCREASES RISK OF INJURY
Press Release, 5/31/03
"New findings by a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher demonstrate that a person's risk of injury increases significantly after only two standard drinks, such as two 12-ounce beers. (J. of Studies on Alcohol, May-2003)"
(fulltext of press release)

Irish pubs' culture: 'Drink to get drunk'
USA Today, 6/12/03
"...A 2000 survey by World Drink Trends shows these comparisons of average annual per-capita consumption of pure alcohol for those age 15 and over:
. Ireland - 3.2 gallons.
. USA - 1.7 gallons..."
(fulltext of article)

Teen leaders help fight in war on drugs
Teen leaders help fight in war on drugs Institute recruits, trains local youths
Times-Picayune, 6/10/03
Article discusses the prevention strategy of the Louisiana Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, which teaches youth leadership skills rather than depending on scare tactics.
"Just after a visiting speaker outlined her descent into alcohol- and drug-fueled depravity for a group of students from around the New Orleans metro area, Tony Morales, 18, shrugged off her lurid tales as a worst-case example..."
(fulltext of article)

Beer-flavored ice cream? Cheers
Britain welcomes the marriage of two great tastes that work great together.
CNN Money, 6/12/03
"Scottish Courage, the big U.K. brewer, last week began selling to British consumers ice cream that tastes like Newcastle Brown Ale, one of the company's flagship brands. The product is made via a joint venture with Doddington Dairies, which, like the beermaker, is located in Northeast England..."
(fulltext of article)

Latino magazine, agency join forces
The Sacramento Bee, 6/9/03
Discusses the cooperation between a local Sacramento, CA Latino magazine and a nonprofit social services group. The two entities joined forces to try to educate Sacramento's Latino population on health and family issues, including alcohol and drugs.
(fulltext of article)
Related Links:
MAAP, Inc. : (formerly the Mexican American Alcoholism Program)

Alcohol and fans proves a heady mix for US Open Hopefuls
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE - ENGLISH, 6/11/03
Article discusses the changes taking place in professional golf, and alludes to the acceptance of a social norm embracing drunken behavior at sporting events. There has been a gradual change in the behavior of golf galleries, where fans once "restricted themselves to polite applause." According to one pro golfer, "I think fans, booze, that kind of goes with sports these days...You sit in the stands and have a couple of beers. And if you like a guy you let him know that you like him. ...If you don't like a guy, you can also do the same. I guess that's the way it is out there nowadays."
Semi-edited version available free online : (Daily Times, Pakistan, 6/13/03)

Flavored Malt Beverages and Related Proposals; Comment Extension
68 FR 32698-99, 2003
In response to a request by lawyers of Modesto's E&J Gallo Winery, the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Trade Bureau has extended the comment period for Flavored Malt Beverages and Related Proposals (68 FR 14292-01, 2003) to October 21, 2003. The TTB is proposing changes to the beer and malt beverage regulations related to the production, taxation, composition, labeling, and advertising of alcohol beverages marketed as "flavored malt beverages" (also known as malternatives). The government sponsored a study which showed that over 75% of the alcohol in most malternatives is derived from alcohol flavoring additives rather than from the fermentation of malt and grain. The proposed regulations would allow a beverage to be taxed as beer and regulated as a malt beverage only if the addition of alcohol in flavorings and other additives is less than 0.5% by volume of the finished product. There are currently different taxes applied to a product, depending on whether the alcohol is derived from distilling or brewing.
Related Links:
Flavored Malt Beverages and Related Proposals : (68 FR 14292-01, 2003)
Gallo in midst of malt fight : (Sacramento Bee, 6/7/03)
New malt rule will kill market, says industry executive : (Louisville Courier Journal, 6/10/03)

U.S. Drinking Age Questioned
Join Together, 6/10/03
"Some are questioning why the U.S. is one of only four nations with a legal drinking age of 21, although there is no organized campaign behind the criticism.
Although the United States is one of only four nations with a legal drinking age of 21, there is no organized campaign to lower the standard, the Voice of America reported June 4..."
(Fulltext of JTO News Release)
Related Links
US Legal Drinking Age Becomes Subject of New Debate : (Voice of America News, 6/4/03)
Q&A: ALCOHOL: UNDERAGE DRINKING : (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
Drinking Age Limits : (International Center for Alcohol Studies, March 1998)
Note: ICAS is an industry sponsored group.
The NHSDA Report: Alcohol Use by Persons Under the Legal Drinking Age of 21 : (SAMHSA, May 3003)

Is Coors turning to kids to help its market share?
Even though Pete Coors may say that, "21 means 21" in America, according to a May 30, 2003 CCNMathews wire MASEV, a "leading experiential youth marketing agency in Canada and the United States" has recently landed Coors Canada as a client. The company is "gaining recognition in the marketplace for its ability to conceptualize, develop and execute highly successful youth marketing programs for a wide array of corporate clients." According to the 6/1/03 Promo, another agency that lists Coors as a client is the Alloy Marketing and Promotion (AMP) Agency, a division of Alloy, Inc. Alloy Inc. describes themselves as "a media, direct marketing and marketing services company targeting Generation Y, the more than 60 million boys and girls in the United States between the ages of 10 and 24." This, of course, doesn't necessarily mean that Coors is directly targeting the youth market, just that they are hiring agencies that specialize in directly targeting the youth market.
Related Link:
Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau Names AMP Agency Official Marketing Partner for Spring Break 2003

Don't toast that diploma with alcohol
Contra Costa County Times, 6/5/03
"Graduation time has come for many young people. Those graduating from high school often attend many celebrations, and all too often alcohol is available to those young people..."
Article contains some quick facts explaining the consequences (in California) of getting caught drinking and/or driving.
(Fulltext of article)

Just how "Liquored Up" can pop culture be?
If you happen to be in the Los Angeles between Jun. 14 - Jun. 30, the Art Coalition Gallery is hosting an exhibit called "Liquored Up." The show will contain "Drinking-related works by resident artist Amy Roth and a dozen others. Featured artist is Shaunna Peterson, whose artistic influences include pinstriped hotrods, lingerie ads and Mad magazine."
Price: Free
5227 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood
Information: 818-506-0938

Miller Brewing Campaign Comes to an Abrupt End
NY Times, 6/4/03
"The "Cat Fight" commercials for Miller Lite beer, among the most contentious and talked-about series of spots created by Madison Avenue in recent years, are coming to an abrupt end. The sponsor, Miller Brewing, has apparently decided it does not want the image of its largest brand to be defined by a sexual sell, especially when consumers do not seem to be buying..."
(Fulltext of article)
Related Links:
The following links contain streaming video of the 1st and last (#4) of the Miller commercials. There are also further links to the other 2 commercials:
CUE THE BREASTS, IT'S MILLER TIME : (AdAge.com, 1/20/03)
MILLER CANS 'CATFIGHT,' READIES 'PILLOW FIGHT' : (AdAge.com, 6/2/03)

LABATT INNOVATES AGAIN WITH THE LAUNCH OF DNA
Canada Newswire English
"Labatt Breweries continues to build innovative momentum, this time with its launch of DNA, an alcoholic beverage with spring water and a natural lemon flavour. This new beverage, which was developed in Australia and has since taken 42 countries by storm, is being sold in Québec under the name ADN and in the rest of Canada as DNA..."
The product is clear, 7 percent alcohol, is packaged in a clear bottle with all-black brand identification, (the letters written across a digital fingerprint) and has a "natural lemon flavor."

Antioxidants may protect against alcohol damage
Sacramento Bee, 6/3/03
"WASHINGTON (AP) -- Antioxidants, already widely promoted as cancer-fighters, also may help protect the brain from chronic alcohol damage.
Chronic alcoholism damages parts of the brain used in learning and memory, but giving rats an antioxidant protected them from the damage, according to researchers working in the United States and Spain..."
(Fulltext of article)

This Bud is not for you...
GrandPrix.com, 6/2/03
After the disintegration of a deal in which Anheuser Busch was to sponsor Ferrarri's Jean Todt, A-B has announced a three-year extension to its current deal in NASCAR with Dale Earnhardt Inc. The deal, worth an estimated $60 million dollars, stands to earn a profit for A-B, as they will take a percentage of the profit earned by Dale Earnhardt Jr's merchandising operations.
(Fulltext of article)

Brown-Forman bets on marketing : Ad drive boosts earnings to goal
The Courier Journal, 5/31/03
An 8 percent boost in the marketing budget for its spirits brands yielded an overall increase in profits for Brown-Forman. Total sales rose 8 percent from $527.2 million to $571.4 million despite losses in sales of wines and durable goods (china tableware and luggage). Wine sales are down slightly. Fetzer sales are flat and Bolla Wines are down one percent. The company plans to boost advertising again in 2004. Sales volume is up four percent or Jack Daniel's and one percent for Southern Comfort despite higher prices for both brands. Finlandia Vodka will receive more marketing support in response to the weak sales caused by the 100 new vodkas entering the market. Jack Daniel's Original Hard Cola will receive less marketing support due to fading sales after the September 2002 release. Distribution of the flavored malt beverage will increase for the summer season and advertising will be limited to television.
(Fulltext of article)

Tons of Booze Dumped on Farm
NY Times, 6/2/03
"State environmental officials are considering levying fines and other penalties against whoever dumped more than 145,000 cases of stagnant rum at a western Pennsylvania farm...the liquor was discontinued in August by London-based Diageo, which hired Houston-based shipping company Satellite Logistics to dispose of some of the 4 million cases of the rum left over..."
(Fulltext of article)

Study Says Alcohol Can Make People More Cautious
"New research suggests that alcohol could actually lead people to be more cautious in their decision-making, rather than impulsive, the National Post reported May 27...what the studies show is that if you do make those inhibiting cues more salient -- for example if there were posters or signs in the washroom warning people about the dangers of behaviors like drinking and driving or having sex without a condom -- if there's this reminder when they're intoxicated, they might focus on and act on those cues..."
(Fulltext of Join Together Summary)