A concerted effort
Responsibility
Tailored
Leading the consumer
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
resulting in a set of stringent standards for all company marketing
practices and activities. Messages encouraging responsible consumption of
alcohol are now included in all our advertising, as standard."
Heineken USA in its turn has cooperated with various parties to reduce the
risk of alcohol misuse or abuse for a long time. "As a responsible business
and a good corporate citizen, we strive to maintain open and respectful
relationships with the government, non-governmental agencies,
professional bodies and other socially concerned organisations," says Dan
Tearno, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs of Heineken USA. "Alcohol
misuse and abuse are public health and safety issues that require a
concerted effort to resolve. We work with experts in the medical, social,
scientific and economic fields to come up with solutions to the problems
caused by misuse and abuse. We aim to reduce misuse and abuse at the
individual level by encouraging and supporting consumer responsibility."
Heineken seeks to reduce alcohol misuse and abuse through informing and
assisting its consumers. Suzanne Cosgrove, Corporate Responsibility
manager of Heineken USA explains: "Heineken USA's head-office is in New
York, where we have taken many initiatives. For instance small-scale
initiatives to help people enjoy themselves in a responsible way during a
New Year's Eve spectacular in White Plains, New York. Together with the
White Plains Hospital Center and our distributing company, we gave away
taxi vouchers to White Plains restaurants and taverns, who then provided
them to patrons who needed to be transported home safely."
A similar program was organised by Heineken in the Netherlands, who
offered New Year's Eve party goers free rail travel in order to get home
safely. Travellers were able to log on and receive their free train tickets via
the Internet or SMS, and all participants received a special promotional
T-shirt.
Both projects were a great success and soon other initiatives followed.
"Heineken USA participates in Operation Teen Proof," Cosgrove continues,
"a project which aims to decrease underage drinking in the state of New
York."
It funded the purchase and delivery of 150 laminate verifier devices to
the District Attorney's Office. Under the Operation Teen Proof Program, the
local government will be delivering free of charge informational packages,
including security laminate verifiers, to licensed alcohol establishments. By
revealing the laminate security feature, these verifiers allow proprietors
the ability to identify the authenticity of any New York State Driver's
License issued after April 1997. The packages also include a letter urging
licensees to abide by their legal obligation to check the age of their
customers. Licensees are asked to turn over any fraudulent licenses to law
enforcement, and a Department of Motor Vehicles brochure explaining the
security features included and to look for it on New York State licenses and
ID cards.
"Currently, Heineken USA cooperates with a technology provider to
accommodate event organizers with electronic age verification
appliances," Cosgrove says. "Heineken USA is involved in three major music
events this year, in New York (NY), San Diego (CA) and Austin (TX). The
appliance checks the age of the public electronically through their drivers
licence and prints out an information strip that can be attached to
coloured wrist bands, proving that people wearing these 'age bands' are
of the age at which they are allowed to drink alcohol."
According to Cosgrove, opinion leaders have already responded
enthusiastically to the initiative.
The most recent initiative, however, is the creation of educational materials
on responsible alcohol consumption aimed at children through parents and
grandparents. "We had cooperated with the White Plains Hospital Centre
for the taxi vouchers and, through them, came into contact with the large
New York Presbyterian Hospital. Talks resulted in the idea to educate
children on the risks of alcohol consumption, through their parents or
grandparents. Why through them? Because they are closest to these kids
and communicating directly with kids is not in line with company policy,"
Cosgrove tells.
The project will see six to nine books produced on various aspects of
resposible alcohol consumption. The first two books will inform parents
about the pressure kids can experience from peer groups and the physical
consequences of drinking. The full text of these books will be free to
download from www.enjoyheinekenresponsibly.com from the end of this
year.
Heineken USA shows the development that comes with the introduction
of the corporate initiated website. Not only will the website serve as an
objective knowledge base on responsible alcohol consumption, eventually
it will serve as an information portal for various (local) initiatives in this
field. Heineken UK, too, regards responsible consumption as an important
element in their internal and external communication. "Responsible
drinking is an important issue here," says Gayle Harrison of Heineken UK.
"Barely a day goes by without a media story about binge drinking and the
dangers of alcohol. Politicians of all parties are increasingly concerned
about the impact of alcohol on society. As a relatively young organisation
we have been able to establish our responsibility credentials from the
outset. One element of this has been our pricing: by maintaining a price
premium for Heineken we are less likely to be accused of encouraging
irresponsible drinking. But another important element is the Enjoy
Heineken Responsibly website. We have tailored the site for UK use, and
are now phasing in the website address on all packaging."
In order to lead consumers to the Enjoy Heineken Responsibly (EHR)
website, its address will be mentioned on the back labels of all bottles and
cans. Because every market has its own requirements in terms of laws and
regulations, the adding of the website's URL proved to be an intensive
operation. "Currently, 70% of Heineken back labels carry the website's
