Georgia Alcohol Policy Partnership

Raising awareness one teen at a time

Project

Georgia Alcohol Policy Partnership (GAPP), funded by several sources including the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (Georgia), hired Rountree Group to develop and implement a campaign in Atlanta to increase public awareness about the dangers of underage drinking and to stop Six Flags Over Georgia from receiving a license to sell alcohol in its concert venue.  The strategy was to implement the campaign before and during the summer, peak times of the year for alcohol consumption/interest.

Objective

  • Raise awareness of the dangers of underage drinking
  • Stop Six Flags Over Georgia, located in Cobb County, from receiving a license to sell alcohol in its concert venue
  • Educate establishments with alcohol licenses about responsible alcohol sales and service

Research

According to results from an April and May 2003 survey of Cobb County residents and Georgians:

  • 97 percent of Georgians are concerned about the problem of underage drinking
  • 88 percent of Georgians support laws to restrict alcohol sales in parks
  • 72 percent of Cobb County residents think alcohol should be banned at music concert events and 91 percent agreed with policies for restricting alcohol in establishments

Implementation

  • Utilized events such as prom, July 4 holiday and Six Flags Over Georgia  request for an alcohol license as media springboards to advance our message
  • Identified targeted media outlets, proactive push to media before events, dovetailing local survey information and facts/stats about the dangers of alcohol to garner media attention
  • Delivered a call to action alert to parents, who were residents of Cobb County and were associated with the clients organization; had residents communicate with Cobb County commissioners that amusement parks and alcohol “don’t mix”
  • “Tailgate” and customize local stories to leverage GAPP’s goals and objectives

Results

  • More than 11 million print impressions, five million broadcast impressions; our messages hit home
  • Our call to action was heard; Cobb County commissioners said they were flooded with calls, e-mails, faxes, letters regarding local residents’  disapproval of Six Flags’s request for an alcohol license in its concert venue; Cobb County commissioners delayed the vote for future research; Six Flags eventually withdrew its alcohol ordinance request
  • Leveraged GAPP’s profile with Cobb County commissioners, and GAPP was asked to serve on its research committee, thus raising GAPP’s profile as a leader in reducing underage drinking
  • Media coverage was secured regarding responsible alcohol sales and service
  • GAPP funding sources extended additional financial resources for new projects, and we were rehired for another project