Wine coolers gained popularity in the US market in the 1980s when
Bartles and Jaymes began advertising their brand of wine coolers, which were followed by other brands, including when
Bacardi introduced the
Breezer. A growth in popularity occurred around 1993 with
Two Dogs, DNA Alcoholic Spring Water,
Hooper's Hooch and
Zima, which was marketed under the title of "malternative beverage."
Wine coolers were on the decline due to the increase in the US federal wine tax, and using a malt-beverage base became the new industry standard. Later,
Mike's Hard Lemonade was released in the United States, with humorous commercials depicting what they called "violence against lemons".
Smirnoff also came out with another
citrus-
flavored
malt beverage in the United States in the late 1990s called
Smirnoff Ice, which promoted itself with flashy commercials, usually involving trendy young people dancing in unlikely situations and places. (In the UK, Smirnoff Ice is marketed by
Diageo as a PPS.) Through its Alcopop-Free Zone® campaign, "
Alcohol Justice has sought to ban alcopop sales entirely since the sweet and brightly colored alcoholic drinks may appeal to children. Many
cooler advertising campaigns have been criticized as trying to make alcopops appeal to young drinkers. In the United Kingdom, a media outcry during the mid-1990s arose as the
tabloid press associated alcopops with under-age drinking which damaged sales and led to British
liquor stores withdrawing them from their shelves. In response to a complaint from the
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) conducted an extensive investigation in 2001. The agency "found no evidence of intent to target minors with FMB products, packaging, or advertising. Furthermore, after reviewing the consumer survey evidence submitted by CSPI in support of the proposition that FMBs were predominantly popular with minors, the FTC concluded that flaws in the survey's methodology limited the ability to draw conclusions from the survey data." The Federal Trade Commission again in 2003 investigated FMB ads,
product placement, and internal company marketing documents after a directive from the conferees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. "The Commission's investigation found no evidence of targeting underage consumers in the marketing of FMBs. Adults 21 to 29 appear to be the intended target of FMB marketing" and found that "the majority of FMB drinkers are over the age of 27." In December 2003,
Ireland raised the tax on flavored malt beverages to equal that of spirits, the second-highest in
Europe.
Germany has imposed an extra duty of 0.80 to 0.90
euro per bottle effective August 1, 2004. To circumvent higher taxation, some German producers have switched to
wine coolers, which are being marketed the same way. Some bottles now carry a warning stating that they are not for consumption by people under the legal drinking age (under 18 in the UK and 21 in the United States). On May 11, 2008, the
Australian Government increased the excise tax on alcopops by 70%, to bring it in line with the tax on spirits. There is the concern this tax will encourage consumers to buy straight spirits and mix the drinks themselves, possibly resulting in drinks with a higher alcohol concentration than the premixed alternatives. This tax was revoked during March 2009 meaning the government had to pay back the 290 million collected on the tax. The Federal Trade Commission report states, "Further, industry-conducted research on consumers over the age of 21 who use FMBs shows that these consumers generally view the FMBs as substitutes for beer, ... This research also concludes that consumers are not likely to consume more than two or three FMBs on any occasion because of the products' sweetness. == Brands ==