In July 2005, Search Institute launched MVParents.com in partnership with Coors Brewing Company. MVParents.com is the first Developmental Assets–based Web site that speaks directly to parents and gives them tools to help their children thrive. Some prevention professionals and other constituencies of Search Institute have raised questions about Search Institute’s relationship with Coors Brewing Company. Below are our responses to some of the questions that have been raised.
Why did Search Institute choose to work with Coors Brewing Company?
Search Institute recognizes that some organizations choose not to accept any funding or support from the alcoholic beverage industry. And we know that there are always complex issues to consider in corporate relationships, particularly industries that are easily associated with health-compromising behaviors. Search Institute’s board of directors and senior leadership consider partnership opportunities on a case-by-case basis, recognizing the potential of both opportunities and risks in every corporate relationship. In considering this opportunity, Search Institute’s board of directors concluded that we could shape a relationship that would advance our mission while maintaining our organizational integrity and independence.
In addition, the National Academy of Sciences and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have called for creative alliances between the beverage industry and the prevention world in addressing underage drinking, including a shift away from messages targeted at young people toward messages targeted to parents and other adults. This parent-focused project seeks to respond to this call while also encouraging greater corporate responsibility. Through considerable deliberation, we determined that we were willing to take the risk on this opportunity in order to learn whether a carefully designed collaborative model can be developed that meets these challenges.
Why is Coors Brewing Company supporting this work?
Coors’ support for MVParents.com is part of their corporate social responsibility programs aimed at reducing underage drinking. More information on why they support MVParents.com can be found in a letter from Coors’ CEO and President, Peter Swinburn.
What do Developmental Assets have to do with underage drinking?
The partnership is based on the research conclusion that young people with many Developmental Assets are significantly less likely to use alcohol than those with few assets. Search Institute research with more than 2.3 million young people consistently shows that the more Developmental Assets young people experience, the less likely they are to engage in problem alcohol use. In fact, youth with high levels of assets (31–40) are 15 times less likely to engage in problem alcohol use than those with few assets (0–10). Download a fact sheet on Developmental Assets and underage drinking.
Of course, many factors play roles in preventing young people from drinking alcohol. An asset-building approach complements, but does not replace, other policy and environmental strategies aimed at reducing underage drinking, such as prevention programs and the control strategies recommended by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine’s 2004 report Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. For more information on Search Institute’s broader community change strategy to address alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use, read “Tapping the Power of Community: Building Assets to Strengthen Substance Abuse Prevention” in Search Institute Insights & Evidence (March 2004). Download now.
What has Search Institute done to protect its independence and integrity?
In shaping this relationship, we used the guidelines from the American Medical Association (Partner or Foe? The Alcohol Industry, Youth Alcohol Problems, and Alcohol Policy Strategies) regarding partnerships to establish the parameters for this relationship. Thus, for example, the following factors shaped this decision:
- Search Institute has final decision-making authority on all content on MVParents.com. We maintain a clear stance against underage drinking and other high-risk behaviors.
- None of the research supporting the initiative was funded by the beverage industry.
- The MVParents campaign is aimed at parents, who may legally drink, and does not target young people.
- The initiative’s content is focused on well-established messages around positive parenting and asset building.
- This campaign only represents a small proportion of Search Institute’s overall asset-building effort and budget, and this is not an exclusive corporate relationship.
- Search Institute is actively seeking other corporate partners to continue and grow the MVParents initiative.
What is Coors Brewing Company doing in this partnership?
In addition to providing core financial and in-kind support for Search Institute to develop MVParents.com, Coors has developed and placed online and print advertisements; consumer education materials and resources regarding asset building and parenting; in-store marketing materials featuring MVParents.com resources; and community outreach via its distributor partners. All of the efforts have focused on positive parenting messages and asset building.
Coors has other corporate responsibility initiatives that are not directly linked to MVParents.com, and Search Institute plays no role in these efforts. They include Coors’ 21 Means 21, which is their corporate responsibility campaign focused on enforcing the legal drinking age of 21.
What about Coors’ Brewing Company’s advertising practices?
We know that serious concerns have been raised about Coors and corporate responsibility, including advertising that aired in 2003 and 2004. Through frank dialogue with Coors leadership, we have confidence that their alliance with us is part of an effort to strengthen their corporate responsibility commitment. We encourage anyone with concerns about advertising to utilize the Consumer Complaint Review Board, which is run through the Beer Institute.
How does this project fit in the international asset-building movement?
MVParents.com is one of many different strategies and initiatives of Search Institute to create a world where all young people are valued and thrive. Search Institute is committed to encouraging all aspects of society to engage in asset building, and we seek to engage a wide range of partners in many sectors and from many perspectives and ideologies. We consistently seek to find the “common ground” around which diverse groups with diverse interests can work together on behalf of children, youth, families, and communities.
Partnering with Coors on MVParents is consistent with this inclusive, bridge-building approach to positive social change. We recognize that some friends, colleagues, and allies will disagree with Search Institute’s decision to engage in this project, and we respect that. One of the strengths, we believe, of the asset-building movement is the wide diversity of opinions, strategies, and approaches among people who are committed to young people’s healthy development. Our hope is that we can continue to work together to create a world where all young people are valued and thrive.
