Century Council
The Century Council is a drinks industry funded group based in Virginia that promotes responsible drinking, campaigns against drink driving and underage drinking. The organisation is the US equivelant to The Portman Group and was founded in 1991 by some of the same transnational alcohol companies.[1]
Members
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- Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.
- Brown-Forman
- Constellation Brands, Inc.
- Diageo
- Future Brands LLC
- Hood River Distillers, Inc.
- Sidney Frank Importing Co., Inc.[2]
Partners
- Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)
- National Judicial College (NJC)
- American Advertising Federation (AAF)
- American Council on Education (ACE)
- National Middle School Association (NMSA)
- National Drug Court Institute (NDCI)
- International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
- Ad Council
- Nickelodeon [3]
Controversial Approach
Recent research commissioned by The Century Council found that the alcohol industry are not to blame for underage drinking as in 65 percent of underage drinking cases the alcohol was obtain alcohol from family and friends. Only 7% of the underage drinkers surveyed obtained the alcohol directly from industry outlets. The release of the research coincides with a Century Council campaign aimed to reduce drunk driving amongst teens. The campaign involves a US wide tour of presentations made by the victim of a drink driving crash. Brandon Silveria was 17 when a drink driving accident left him in a coma for 3 weeks, he now is an active campaigner and a key weapon in the American drinks industry's corporate social responsibility strategy. [4].
Alcohol Industry & Children
- Nickelodeon and the Century Council, a liquor-industry front group, recently launched a multi-media education program on alcohol aimed at parents and middle-school aged kids. The program, titled “Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix” asserts that the key to stopping underage drinking is better communication between parents and children. The project will provide information and strategies to initiate the conversation about the dangers of underage drinking through a series of booklets, web sites, and public service announcements.
- Previously, the Century Council has developed and disseminated educational curricula and materials for college and high-school aged students. We eagerly await the kindergarten version. The Century Council is funded by Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine North America, Bacardi U.S.A. Inc., Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands, Cruzan Ltd., Diageo, Future Brands LLC, Pernod Ricard USA and Sydney Frank Importing Co. Inc. Nickelodeon bills itself as the “number-one” entertainment brand for kids and its U.S. television network is seen in 88 million homes.[5]
Notes
- ↑ The Century Council Website About Us accessed August 25th 2008
- ↑ The Century Council Website About Us accessed August 25th 2008
- ↑ The Century Council Website About Us accessed August 25th 2008
- ↑ Reuters April 23rd, 2008 Diageo Supports Initiative to Combat Drunk Driving and Underage Drinking in Indiana accessed 25th August 2008
- ↑ Washington Report August 2004 Produced by the Alcohol Policies Project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington Report provides online information and updates about domestic and international alcohol-policy issues, including alcohol advertising and marketing, labeling, product development, taxation, and industry political and commercial initiatives. Washington Report also provides action alerts to inform advocates of opportunities to promote and influence pro-health alcohol policies.
