Heineken is actively seeking
dialogue and partnership in
promoting the message of
responsible consumption
World of Heineken 37 Winter 2007/2008
ENJOY HEINEKEN RESPONSIBLY
In 2004, the company first introduced its now
well-known Enjoy Heineken Responsibly campaign,
on the back label of all Heineken bottles. The
platform ensures consumers remain informed
about the consequences of alcohol misuse via
a dedicated website that offers information
about the responsible use of alcohol (www.
enjoyheinekenresponsibly.com). Last year, the
website was upgraded to include more information
and further insights into issues related to alcohol
abuse and responsible consumption.
For the first time in 2007, Grupa Zywiec - Heineken's
operating company in Poland - promoted the Enjoy
Heineken Responsibly message through the Open'er
Festival. Visitors to the festival were handed a
leaflet with information about the responsible use
of alcohol, including the legal age limit for drinking
and the legal limits for alcohol consumption.
Leaflets carrying the "don't drink and drive"
message were also handed out, and serving staff
at the bars were trained to demand ID from people
who looked under age.
"The dangers of underage drinking represent a
significant issue in Poland," says Krzysztof Rut,
Corporate Relations Manager for Grupa Zywiec.
"The law in Poland is idiosyncratic in that a barman
is not compelled to ask a suspected underage patron
to produce their ID, so even the hands of the police
are largely tied. In our efforts to reach out to the
youth, we make sure that our material is couched
in the kind of language that they use among
themselves." Grupa Zywiec specifically targets bar
staff, distributing leaflets suggesting how to handle
youngsters who attempt to buy alcohol, as well as
using its sales network to distribute the material to
both bars and retail points of sale.
"Last year we also launched a programme in some
of Poland's major cities to discourage drinking and
driving," continues Rut, pointing out the country's
legal driving limit is 0.2 per cent as opposed to 0.5
and 0.8 in many other countries. "In cooperation
with municipal and police authorities, our outreach
programme talks to consumers about the dangers
of alcohol in traffic, and encourages them to assign
'designated drivers' - although we avoid this specific
term - or to use busses and taxis to get home after
a night out. To facilitate this, we have negotiated
with major taxi cab companies in the cities to offer
a 10 per cent discount to homeward-bound revellers
who can produce our promotional material as a
voucher."
HEALTH ALLIANCE ON ALCOHOL
In the USA in particular, Heineken enjoys a
reputation for being one of the most forward-
thinking companies in the alcoholic beverage
industry. Among other distinctions, Heineken was
the first brewer in the world to place a responsible
consumption message on all of its bottles and
cans with a link to a dedicated website. Here
the consumer can find information about what
responsibility means.
"Since 2005, Heineken USA has embarked on
a partnership with the New York Presbyterian
Health Center, which is the largest non-profit heath
care organisation in the USA," says Dan Tearno,
Vice President Corporate Relations for Heineken
USA. "Two years ago, we started up a three-year
programme. Many of the specialised medical staff
at the Center also have teaching positions at other
eminent institutions such as the Columbia University
Medical Center and the New York Medical College at
Cornel University. This makes them extremely well
equipped to publish books and papers about alcohol.
"With their cooperation, we have distributed more
than 250,000 booklets in the first two years, with
titles including Talking to Teens: Underage Drinking
and Teen Driving Alcohol. This series of nine
booklets is aimed at both teens and their parents,"
Tearno explains. "We have also entered into a
partnership with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission which is the Lone Star State's regulatory
agency on alcohol matters. They approached us,
asking whether we would work with them, using our
existing material to develop a curriculum so that
their agents can train parents how to talk to their
kids."
At the same time, Heineken USA has also
collaborated with the Connecticut State Police
on both underage drinking and drink-driving
prevention campaigns, as well as broadcasting
public service announcements on TV and radio in
cooperation with Washington's Chief of Police, the
Palm Beach County Sheriff, the State Highway Patrol
in Florida and two District Attorneys in the State of
Massachusetts. "We also have a programme called
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