Brewers and Beer Importers: ‘We Don’t Serve Teens’
WASHINGTON, DC – For the eighth consecutive year, the country’s major brewers and beer importers promoted the Federal Trade Commission’s “We Don’t Serve Teens” education program with millions of messages online and in TV, radio, print and outdoor ads.
As teens enjoy summer break, the beer industry asks communities across the country to be vigilant in preventing underage drinking. The 2014 We Don’t Serve Teens program generated more than 106 million media impressions through the combined efforts of the beer industry’s advertising.
“I am a father, friend and neighbor, too, and want our youth to be safe and sensible,” said Jim McGreevy, President and CEO of the Beer Institute. “We encourage parents to talk with their kids about alcohol and utilize materials available through programs like ‘We Don’t Serve Teens’ to discourage misuse. As an industry, we are committed to responsibility and support dozens of initiatives to reduce underage drinking.”
The “We Don’t Serve Teens” campaign carries a simple but powerful message: “Please don’t provide alcohol to teens. It’s unsafe. It’s illegal. It’s irresponsible.” This is a message that brewers and importers displayed through paid media in their hometown markets to remind the public to refrain from serving alcohol to minors. A U.S. government survey shows that most teenagers who drink get alcohol from legal-age adults, such as parents or other family members, or they take it from their own or someone else’s home.
Studies show that parents are the greatest influence on teens. Of 13-17 year olds, 68 percent cite their parents as the leading influence on whether they drink or not (GfK Roper Youth Report).
Research also shows that efforts to reduce teen drinking such as the “We Don’t Serve Teens” program and other initiatives supported by the beer industry are making a positive impact. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Survey on Drug Use and Health of 12-17 year-olds, teen past-month drinking has declined 34 percent since 2002, to a new record-low level.
The “We Don’t Serve Teens” program offers educational and promotional materials at www.DontServeTeens.gov. To learn more about the Beer Institute’s Commitment to Responsibility, please visit www.BeerInstitute.org/responsibility.
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