Comments for Upstreaming Alcohol Policy

Comment on Of Kids and Alcohol Brands by Walter Osadciw

Walter Osadciw — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:58:58 +0000

The saddest part is the shrine Kaitlin’s friends built with the very smoking gun that killed her. Too many teens see such accidents as tragic twists of fate instead of completely preventable, behavior driven consequences.

Comment on Blah blah responsibility blah by David J. Sperling

David J. Sperling — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:24:16 +0000

So true! I often comment to arrestees (when placing them into a jail cell) that the alcohol companies seem to leave this part out of those humorous and sexy commercials we all watch and love. It just kind of ruins the whole “party train” experience. I also add, and of course, they’re looking out for you and definitely want you to “know when to say when”…as long as it is after a 12 pack. I have yet to have an arrestee not agree.

Comment on Public Inebriation – in Alaska and Elsewhere by David J. Sperling

David J. Sperling — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:18:21 +0000

Robert–

This is brilliant stuff. Understanding the quandry of “protecting” a person’s rights at their own expense (or demise) is absolutely integral regarding all troubleshooting in this arena. Great work. Explaining this in my post screening lectures goes very far in helping the audience understand how Mark David Allen (the subject of my documentary film) can slip through the cracks so many times. Thanks for your work. Take care, David J. Sperling

Comment on Teens & Liquor, again by sohfia

sohfia — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:21:54 +0000

Spirits are much easier to conceal. Pouring into a water bottle makes an alcoholic drink look like a harmless container of water.

Decorative cans or not, underage drinkers will be turned off to beer because an open can is an open can.

Comment on Progress by “Regress” by Robert Pezzolesi, MPH

Robert Pezzolesi, MPH — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:35:43 +0000

I think the antitrust talk stems from a combination of the timing of the move and the increasing consolidation of the domestic beer market. Perhaps it is just a matter of appearances.

Any further information you have on the topic is welcome.

Comment on Resisting Everything … But Temptation by frodelicious

frodelicious — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:36:54 +0000

“Today’s consumer is changing much faster, and more frequently, and less predictably, than in any other time in recent history,” says Dan Wandel, svp of bev-alc at IRI at a PowerHour teleconference sponsored by the Brewers Association yesterday. “Consumers have hit the reset button, and taking a hard look at what they’re spending their money on…..[They're] changing their lifestyle and shopping strategies…..and new patterns of shopping have emerged,” adds Dan.

So what are those new patterns? One of the biggest things adopted is the home as the focus point of entertainment for many consumers. In-home entertainment has become very important as more consumers opt to drink-in with their friends and family. “On-premise isn’t going to have a turnaround any time soon,” warned Dan. Consumers surveyed by IRI said they visit bars 25% less than last year, and are bringing the bar to their homes. “Consumers are investing heavily in home-based video gaming systems – events linked to these systems will make consumers feel they are getting more bang for their buck – the trick here is to orchestrate these ideas exclusively for legal drinking age and above.”

Comment on Bud Light Can Controversy by frodelicious

frodelicious — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:34:40 +0000

The University of Wisconsin has ended long-standing sponsorship agreements with MillerCoors and A-B for advertising during Badgers radio sports broadcasts. The deals, which brought the university about $425,000 per year, were not renewed after a campus committee recommended doing away with them as “part of its fight against binge drinking,” says the AP. “Some see the decision by Wisconsin, a state known for heavy drinking and close ties to brewers, as particularly noteworthy.”

Comment on Progress by “Regress” by frodelicious

frodelicious — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:59:36 +0000

The fact is that beer pricing hasn’t even come close to keeping up with cost of goods sold increases, and beer prices typically go up at or just below CPI. So, yes, there’s going to be a nominal 4% price increase (MillerCoors’ COGS was up 5% last quarter, and that was a vast improvement). So for the media to cry “antitrust” is something of a stretch. I think that rising costs, debt, and synergy targets are more of a driver of taking price than anything else.

Still, the Times notes that the “Obama administration is taking a tougher line on monopolistic behavior. Christine Varney, the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, has even signaled a willingness to re-examine deals that were approved under the Bush administration” and “taking on Big Beer might be politically popular.”

Comment on Growing Consensus on Alcohol Advertising/Marketing by frodelicious

frodelicious — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:10:07 +0000

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) got a $4 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announced that CAMY received the CDC grant after relocating to the school from Georgetown University, where it was founded in 2002. Previously, CAMY was funded by grants from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, but that money ran out in 2008.

Comment on Teens & Liquor, again by Bud Light Can Controversy « Upstreaming Alcohol Policy

Bud Light Can Controversy « Upstreaming Alcohol Policy — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:25:35 +0000

[...] August 25, 2009 · Leave a Comment A few thoughts on the burgeoning Bud Light “Fan Can” controversy, as reported in comments on this blog first here and then here: [...]