PRESS RELEASE:
13.12.2007
Over-25s only in beer advertisements, advertisements removed from secondary school soft drink vending machines
The brewing industry supports responsible enjoyment of its products
The Finnish industry producing beer, cider, long drinks, soft drinks and mineral waters promotes responsible enjoyment of its products in many ways, while also working to prevent their abuse. Clearly defined boundaries are vital to the industry when it comes to marketing alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. From now on, advertisements for alcoholic beverages will feature only people aged 25 and over. Soft drink manufacturers will introduce GDA (Guideline Daily Amount) markings at the turn of the year, and advertisements will be removed from vending machines in secondary schools.
Strict laws govern the advertisement of mild alcoholic beverages in Finland, and breweries act responsibly when it comes to advertising. Next year, members of the Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry will introduce new, shared guidelines on responsible marketing communications for alcoholic brewery beverages. The industry seeks to use its own guidelines in conjunction with those of the Alcohol Act and the National Product Control Agency for Welfare and Health to create clearly defined, practical principles for advertising alcoholic beverages.
The industry wants internal guidelines to further clarify those grey areas that are currently left to interpretation. Although instances of advertisements overshooting the boundaries are already rare, these practical guidelines aim to prevent any further occurrences.
The brewing industry does not speak of children, young people and adults, but simply of those who are underage or of age. In order to more clearly define where that boundary is drawn, the members of the Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry have decided that they will no longer feature anyone under the age of 25 in their advertisements.
“When it comes to the Alcohol Act, the guidelines on responsible marketing communications underline not only compliance with the letter of the law, but also understanding the spirit of the law,” says Timo Jaatinen, Managing Director of the Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry.
“Our guiding principle is: ‘In moderation for those of age’. When producing advertisements, we make sure to portray responsible use, and also pay particular attention to social behaviour and underage consumers, for whom alcohol is inappropriate.”
‘Drunk, you’re a fool’ campaign effective
The ‘Drunk, you’re a fool’ campaign, which radically questioned alcohol use for the sole purpose of getting drunk, was visible on the streets and the Internet throughout the autumn. A recent survey indicates that many people noticed the advertisements. 72% of respondents held the campaign to be necessary, and 69% were of the opinion that it got people thinking. The advertisements were not considered too condescending, childish or preachy.
The campaign website has attracted over 458,000 visitors since the end of August, and the average time spent on the site was more than five minutes. An independent scientific evaluation of the campaign and its impact will be carried out during the spring. The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry will use the campaign to participate in the European Commission’s Alcohol & Health Forum as a sign of the Finnish brewing industry’s commitment to reducing the problems caused by alcohol.
Since 2000, the Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry has been cooperating with the Youth Academy in the fight against underage drinking. Every year, the industry presents the After Eighteen award to support the best prevention scheme against underage drinking drawn up by a secondary school. This award is part of the national Alcohol Programme 2004–2007, in which the Youth Academy is a partner.
Over half of all soft drinks in vending machines are sugar-free
Companies responsible for distributing beverages respect schools as advertisement-free zones. Soft drinks are not marketed on school premises, and sales are not furthered through, for example, price promotions. Two years ago, the soft drinks industry reached a unanimous decision to remove all brand advertisements from the sides of school vending machines. Vending machines are now brand-free, and over half their contents are sugar-free soft drinks or mineral waters. Likewise, soft drinks are not advertised during programmes or using media targeted at under-15s.
GDA (Guideline Daily Amount) markings have gradually been introduced in the food and drink industry during the past year. From the start of 2008, the soft drinks industry will be the first in Finland to introduce GDA markings on all of its products, thereby offering consumers the chance to make more informed decisions. These voluntary markings provide consumers with at-a-glance information on how much energy and what percentage of key nutritional elements a beverage contains. One serving of a soft drink is either 250 millilitres, or the size of a single-serving package.
Managing Director Timo Jaatinen, tel. +358
(0)9 1488 71
Communications Manager Katri Tuulensuu, tel. +358 (0)9 1488 7601,
GSM +358 (0)40 777 1938
The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry
promotes the interests of producers of beer, cider, long drinks, soft drinks and
mineral waters in Finland. Its members are Oy Hartwall Ab, Nokian Panimo Oy,
Olvi Oyj and Oy Sinebrychoff Ab. The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks
Industry operates in connection with the Finnish Food and Drink Industries
Federation and is among the four largest industries in the food and drink branch
in terms of the value of production.
