Mosher’s article regarding Diageo’s marketing practices is, in my opinion, seriously flawed and unsupported by government data and marketplace realities.1 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has conducted three investigations (1999, 2003, 2008) and each time concluded that alcohol advertising is directed at adults. The FTC’s examinations of flavored malt beverages (FMBs) have included (1) an analysis of internal company documents regarding product development, marketing, and consumer research; (2) a review of advertising; and (3) a ten-city survey of product placement practices.2 The FTC’s 2003 Report to Congress, for example, found “no evidence of targeting underage consumers in the FMB market” and stated that “consumers who are 21 to 27 are the largest single group of FMB users, the majority of FMB drinkers are over the age of 27. Furthermore, the 2003 report pointed out that teen drinking continued to decline despite increases in FMB advertising.3
Mosher acknowledges that
[t]his case study does not provide a basis for concluding that overall youth consumption increased as a result of Diageo’s Smirnoff campaign.1(p61)
The Future Survey data also confirms significant declines in consumption for 8th, 10th and 12th graders, for both 30-day prevalence and five or more drinks for FMBs, beer, and spirits since the launch of Smirnoff Ice.4
Mosher suggests that alcohol advertising causes underage individuals to drink. The overwhelming body of research, however, does not support his conclusion. Research does show that most underage persons who drink alcohol obtain their alcohol from noncommercial sources.5 For these reasons, Diageo supports the federal government’s We Don’t Serve Teens Campaign and funds the Responsible Retailing Forum and the Responsible Hospitality Institute (RHI). Both groups have been awarded government grants for their evidence-based approaches, and Mosher recently spoke at the 2008 RHI networking forum. Diageo is a founding member of The Century Council—an organization that fights against drunk driving and underage drinking—and supports its award-winning programs to reduce underage drinking in states across the country.
Diageo has also provided unrestricted grants for training in and application of Screening and Brief Intervention techniques to medical professionals in the state of New York, college programs, and Employee Assistance Program counselors. This evidence-based approach to reducing alcohol abuse is endorsed by all global health agencies.
Significant progress has been made in reducing underage drinking. Mosher’s “peer-reviewed analytic essay” is inaccurate and only detracts from the complex issue on which we, together with all other serious stakeholders, must focus to continue the progress.
References
- 1.Mosher JF. Joe Camel in a bottle: Diageo, the Smirnoff brand, and the transformation of the youth alcohol market. Am J Public Health. 2012;102(1):56–63 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2. Federal Trade Commission: Protecting America’s Consumers. Commission and staff reports. Available at: http://www.ftc.gov/reports/index.shtm. Accessed February 16, 2012.
- 3. Federal Trade Commission Report. Alcohol marketing and advertising: a report to Congress. September 2003. Available at: http://www.ftc.gov/reports/index.shtm#2003. Accessed February 16, 2012.
- 4.Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE. Secondary school students. In: Monitoring the Future: National Survey Results on Drug Use: 1975–2008. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2008: vol 1. [Google Scholar]
- 5.Pemberton MR, Colliver JD, Robbins TM, Gfroerer JC. Underage Alcohol Use: Findings From the 2002-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD: Dept of Health and Human Services; 2008. [Google Scholar]