Responsible beer consumption continued
Enjoy Heineken Responsibly
One of the fundamental principles of Heineken’s Alcohol Policy states that while individuals are responsible for their own drinking behaviour, Heineken has a commitment to help consumers understand what responsible and irresponsible consumption means. The ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ initiative was launched to help create awareness amongst consumers around the world and help them to make informed choices.
Currently, back labels on Heineken® bottles and cans marketed in nearly all major markets carry the message: ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’. The labels also carry an invitation to visit a dedicated website where consumers can obtain more information on the effects of alcohol and an explanation of what responsible consumption means. In many markets secondary packaging, including cartons and boxes, also carry the same information. However, there are some markets where local legislation prohibits this form of communication. This initiative has also been implemented on the Amstel brand websites. Other brands may adopt similar activities in the future.
In 2006 the ‘Pensaci’ commercial, which included the ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ message, was aired on television in the Netherlands. Broadcasting the commercial will give us the opportunity to monitor and understand the impact of commercials with the ‘responsibly message’. Research indicates that the commercial was well received. In 2007, we will increase our ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ communications.
The www.enjoyheinekenresponsibly.com website has been live for almost three years. The website is important, as it is the base for all our ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ communications. We aim to use the website to communicate new examples of Heineken responsibility activities around the world, and following external consultation and evaluation, the website is being updated to make it more engaging. It should be relaunched in the second quarter of 2007, retaining much of its current content but with a more engaging visual design.
Providing general information is just one step. Follow-up initiatives based on more targeted interventions are also needed to promote responsible consumption or help prevent abuse and misuse. This involves more than sharing the ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ message. It is equally important that we continue to communicate and promote our brands worldwide in order to grow and build our company’s reputation for responsible action. In 2007 we aim to make our commitment to responsible drinking more concrete and visible than ever before.
Our commitment is illustrated by a number of initiatives developed by Heineken USA:
- In partnership with the New York Presbyterian Hospital, training material has been developed to help parents discuss the benefits and risks of alcohol consumption with their children. Various research studies have indicated that under-aged consumers are primarily influenced by their parents and then their peers. We believe that responsible consumption by parents themselves, along with parent-to-child education, is an effective way to encourage responsible consumption by young consumers above the legal drinking age.
- In an on-going effort to address underage consumption, the Health Alliance on Alcohol partnership between Heineken USA and the New York Presbyterian Healthcare system, has continued to release its series of booklets on topics related to young people and alcohol; 2006 included titles addressing peer pressure as well as prom, graduation and alcohol – two key issues effecting young people throughout the US.
- Engagement of young people in their efforts to communicate responsibility. A student competition has challenged more than 200 college campuses to create the next responsibility campaign. Students over the age of 21 offer their viewpoint by submitting a radio, internet and print campaign that addresses alcohol issues. The 2006 winner suggested reasons to take a cab. For example ‘Reason #31: Supermodel Driver – it could happen.’
- Expansion of the Heineken USA SAFECALL programme to include execution of free rides for events such as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislation Conference and our Heineken Red Star Soul series of concerts.
- Inclusion of Public Service Announcements (PSA) as part of its radio buy for both Heineken® and Amstel Light® brands. Radio stations participating in the radio buy also agree to run a number of the Heineken prepared PSAs addressing topics such as drink driving and planning ahead to make it home safely. This negotiation secured Heineken USA more than 10,000 spots played in more than 40 markets.
- Engagement of the local distributor partners to promote responsible consumption. In 2006, a matching grant was made available to distributors promoting education and prevention of alcohol issues. In its second year, the programme has grown nearly 30 percent and we look for additional programme growth in 2007.
- Increased partnership with law enforcement organisations. For example, in November and December the Connecticut State Police worked with Heineken USA to highlight the new law regarding underage drinking. Additionally, joint public service announcements were run in Florida.
In order to help promote responsible drinking and to prevent abuse, we believe that dialogue between the industry, government and health organisations is important. In 2006 The Amsterdam Group* launched a school awareness programme in Spain, the Czech Republic and the UK, bringing together parents, teachers and school children. This project helps to educate children about the effects of alcohol and is a result of cooperation between health organisations, government and industry. The project will be evaluated and if successful may be introduced in other European countries.
A resolution on public health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol, adopted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 25 May 2005, calls for consultation with our industry. Consequently, we have played an active role in the ‘Global Alcohol Producers Group’, preparing a dialogue with the WHO. The International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) is also facilitating dialogue. A second facilitating role is played by ICAP through self-regulation workshops, organised and run in various regions of the world. This is a continuous process: in autumn 2006 a workshop on self-regulation was held in Cape Town (SA), with the participation of Heineken representatives from Nigeria, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2007, we will continue to reach out to governments. Further information about ICAP programmes planned for 2007 can be found at: www.icap.org.
* In 2005, the Amsterdam Group was reorganised into the European Forum for responsible Drinking. The projects mentioned were executed in 2006, partly financed by Heineken.
