Dutch brewer Heineken's sponsorship deal with F1, announced last week, "has led to renewed calls from European campaigners for a ban on alcohol sponsorship in the sport," according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS.
European Alcohol Policy Alliance network Eurocare, which groups public health and non-governmental organizations, said on Tuesday that "it wanted stronger legislation from the European Commission and member states." Eurocare General Secretary Mariann Skar: "F1 should ask themselves if they want to be a motorsport or an alcohol brand event." The Heineken deal is estimated to be worth $150M to F1 over five years.
Skar: "If both the sport and the drinks producers want to be seen as responsible industries, they should stop this deal and move away from alcohol sponsorship in F1."
Eurocare also published a letter sent to FIA President Jean Todt.
Todt, a Frenchman and former Ferrari principal, "has made reducing the number of motoring fatalities a cornerstone of his presidency and is a United Nations special envoy for road safety." Tobacco companies "were big backers of Formula One until the sport kicked the habit in 2008." Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Force India "all have alcohol branding" while Diageo's Johnnie Walker has been F1's official whisky since '14 with considerable trackside advertising (REUTERS, 6/14). AUTOSPORT's Ian Parkes wrote Skar declared Heineken's involvement "a major concern because alcohol and driving should not be mixed," and argued "alcohol brands are now dominating sponsorships in F1, linking a popular motorsport to one of the major killers on our roads, drink driving." Skar: "Alcohol marketing has a powerful effect on society, in particular on young people." In her letter to Todt, Skar concluded, "We would like to request that you take this issue seriously and consider moving away from these sponsorship agreements, as you did with tobacco sponsorship" (AUTOSPORT, 6/14). THE DRINKS BUSINESS' Lauren Eads wrote Heineken said it "would use the platform to also promote F1’s 'Open your World' and 'If You Drive, Never Drink' campaign, with activations including F1 circuit branding, TV commercials, digital activations, live fan experiences and events, dedicated PR initiatives, and packaging/point-of-sale activations." Former driver David Coulthard and triple world champion Jackie Stewart "will be ambassadors for the respective campaigns."
Heineken already invests 10% of its global media spend on "responsible alcohol consumption campaigns such as Moderate Drinkers Wanted and Dance More Drink Slow." The message "is also delivered through sponsorship platforms such as UEFA Champions League and Rugby World Cup where one third of all pitch side advertising is dedicated to the message" (THE DRINKS BUSINESS, 6/14).
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Jackie Stewart
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NOTHING WRONG: Stewart is confident alcohol brands will not face the same future as tobacco companies in F1. Speaking to SBD Global after the official announcement of the Heineken deal, he said, "I see nothing wrong. It’s not a health hazard, for example, in the same way that the cigarette companies were facing from governments. I think they (Heineken) thought well about it and they decided this is the way to go." The 77-year-old former driver and team owner worked for more than two years on the deal with the Dutch brewer, and as an ambassador he will also support Heineken's campaign efforts against drunk driving. "They (Heineken) think they can do a lot of good to encourage people not to drink and drive, while at the same time they obviously want their product to be more enjoyed by different nationalities and Formula 1 does that," Stewart said. The triple world champion added he already shot a TV commercial for the beer company that is expected to air around the time of the Italian Grand Prix in early September. Stewart also brought in Rolex as a global partner of the racing series in '12 (HJ Mai, SBD Global).
