Alcohol Justice, the American alcohol industry watchdog, has recently drawn attention to the strong ties between American colleges and universities and alcohol producers. The latest example of this being the 10 million dollar sponsorship deal that beer brewer MillerCoors has signed with 23 nationally recognized universities including Arizona State, California, Clemson, Colorado, Penn State, and Washington.
These MillerCoors deal authorizes the use of the MillerCoors brand along with school marks on television, radio, print, and online marketing, as well as on point-of-sale material. While a portion of the 10 million dollar deal will be spent to promote the company’s branded ‘broader responsibility platform’, it was not specified how much of this money would be spent on ‘responsible goals’.
Meanwhile, MillerCoors reports that an undetermined portion of the advertising will be used to promote the company’s branded “broader responsibility platform.”
According to Alcohol Justice , college administrators are selling their students’ brand loyalty and positive regard for the alcohol industry. While, dangerous amounts of alcohol-related harm persist and threaten student safety, health, and academic success in college communities.
The alcohol industry argues that sponsoring universities is helping to promote ‘responsible’ drinking behaviors on college campuses. Alcohol Justice however, rejects this argument and calls it a ‘public relations tactics’, intended to fuel consumption and profits. The industry watchdog calls on alcohol producers to stop sponsoring colleges under the guise of ‘prevention’. They also urge American universities to refuse industry funding for ‘promotional efforts that inevitably contribute to alcohol-related harm’ for their students.
Read the full article at Alcohol Justice.
Source: Alcohol Justice (09/08/11)