The Century Council
Encyclopedia
The Century Council is a Virginia
-based American not-for-profit organization founded in 1991 and funded by a group of distillers
that aims to fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision-making regarding alcohol
use.
The Arlington, Virginia-based organization is an independent national advisory board with members in the realm of education, medicine, government, business, and other relevant disciplines assists in the development of programs and policies. Member companies include Bacardi
, Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands
, DIAGEO
, Future Brands, Hood River Distillers and Sidney Frank Importing Company.
In 2008-2009, The Century Council sponsored the National Student Advertising Competition
held by the American Advertising Federation
. Over 140 college teams from across the country competed to create a campaign aimed at reducing binge drinking among college students. The winning campaign was from Syracuse University
.
's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. However, in June 2009, MADD severed all ties with the Century Council due to the latter's opposition to mandatory ignition interlocks for first offenders.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
-based American not-for-profit organization founded in 1991 and funded by a group of distillers
Distillers
Distillers may refer to:*The Distillers, an American punk rock band*Distillers Company, former Scotch whisky and pharmaceutical company...
that aims to fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision-making regarding alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
use.
The Arlington, Virginia-based organization is an independent national advisory board with members in the realm of education, medicine, government, business, and other relevant disciplines assists in the development of programs and policies. Member companies include Bacardi
Bacardi
Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...
, Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, Inc., headquartered in Victor, New York, is the world’s leading wine company with a broad portfolio of widely admired premium brands across the wine, beer and spirits categories.-History and description:...
, DIAGEO
Diageo
Diageo plc is a global alcoholic beverages company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine....
, Future Brands, Hood River Distillers and Sidney Frank Importing Company.
Programs, initiatives and campaigns
The Century Council works with law enforcement, public officials, educators, parents and students to create programs aimed at reducing the incidents of drunk driving and underage drinking:- Alcohol 101 Plus is an interactive online program which aims to help students make safe and responsible decisions about alcohol on college campuses.
- Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don't Mix (developed with NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
) encourages parents to create an ongoing dialogue about the dangers of alcohol with their kids.
- B4UDrink Educator aims to educate adults about the influence of alcohol on an individual's Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level.
- Cops in Shops is an alcohol law enforcement program in which undercover police officers work with participating alcoholic beverage retailers with the aim to deter youth under 21 from attempting to purchase alcohol or adults that purchase alcohol for minors.
- Girl Talk: Choices and Consequences of Underage Drinking attempts to encourage mothers and daughters to communicate about the dangers of underage drinking and the specific risks facing teenage girls.
- National Hardcore Drunk Driving Project provides a comprehensive resource for state legislators, local policy makers, highway safety officials, law enforcement officers, judgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s, prosecutors, community advocates, and treatment professionals to effectively deal with hardcore drunk drivers.
- We Don't Serve Teens (developed with The Federal Trade CommissionFederal Trade CommissionThe Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
) is a public awareness campaign designed to prevent underage drinking by informing adults that providing underage drinkers with alcohol is unsafe, illegal and irresponsible.
In 2008-2009, The Century Council sponsored the National Student Advertising Competition
National Student Advertising Competition
Each year, a corporate sponsor provides an assignment or case study outlining the history of its product and current advertising situation. The case study is always candid and reflects a real world situation. Students must research the product and its competition, identify potential problem areas...
held by the American Advertising Federation
American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation , headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 50,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the United States...
. Over 140 college teams from across the country competed to create a campaign aimed at reducing binge drinking among college students. The winning campaign was from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
Relationship with MADD
Until recently, the Century Council was a partner in Mothers Against Drunk DrivingMothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy...
's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. However, in June 2009, MADD severed all ties with the Century Council due to the latter's opposition to mandatory ignition interlocks for first offenders.