Cinco de Mayo’s Message Lost in Blitz of Alcohol Marketing

Years ago, Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the fifth day of May) marked the 1862 victory of the Mexican army under the command of Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza over French troops at the Battle of Puebla. On Wednesday, Cinco de Mayo will be observed by millions across the United States in one form of celebration or another.

Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Mexican independence day, although that is properly celebrated Sept. 16. Nonetheless, Cinco de Mayo is an important holiday for many Mexican Americans. It signifies cultural pride and celebrates the rights of people everywhere to enjoy the fruits of self-determination.

But in stark contrast to 1862, the real message of Cinco de Mayo is getting lost in a blitz of marketing tactics of the alcoholic beverage industry. These tactics invade our communities and celebrations throughout California and the nation.

In our Latino communities, we are oversaturated with beer and liquor ads that demean sacred cultural icons, such as the pyramids of Chichen Itza crowned by a blender full of margarita mix, Mexican Revolutionary War hero Emilio Zapata hawking brandy, women warriors of the revolution depicted as scantily clad Latinas with strands of bullets across their chests, and a leading domestic brewer proclaiming its product “official beer of Cinco de Mayo.”

Because of this heavy marketing, Cinco de Mayo celebrations throughout the country have become prey to the alcoholic beverage industry’s influence. Cinco de Mayo is not the only target. Look at low-income Latino, black and ethnic neighborhoods and you will see this industry marketing machine trying to get these segments of our population to drink its products.

But an increase in sales for them means an increase in problems for our neighborhoods. Because of this process, our neighborhoods no longer seem to exist. The alcoholic beverage industry has converted our communities into market shares and people’s cultures into mere marketing opportunities.

It is no wonder that domestic brewers spent a total of $26 million on Hispanic advertising in 1996.

Targeted marketing has severe consequences for all ethnic groups in all communities. Nationwide, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver are the sixth- and seventh-leading causes of death among Latinos. Previous Cinco de Mayo celebrations in California have been infested with violence, crime, underage drinking and other problems caused, in part, by heavy alcohol consumption and inappropriate advertising toward Latinos.

Thankfully, the outlook on alcohol at Cinco de Mayo festivals is changing. Cities across California are changing the way Cinco de Mayo is celebrated. In Ventura County, Cinco de Mayo celebrations are alcohol-free, family-oriented events. Last weekend’s Fiesta Broadway in Los Angeles was presented as alcohol-free for the first time--and drew a record turnout. Similar things are happening in Northern California.

The message to the alcoholic beverage industry is quite simple: Stop your promotions that include messages that encourage heavy consumption and underage drinking, and stop using advertising campaigns that demean a specific culture or its sacred images, or emphasize sex or appeal to children.

Our goal is to promote greater awareness of the negative impacts of alcohol on California’s Latino population, to support alcohol-free celebrations of Cinco de Mayo and other holidays, to reduce instances of alcohol-related problems such as drunk driving and, just as important, to promote the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo.

Let’s reject the spin of the alcoholic beverage industry, which promotes Cinco de Mayo as a time to party. Instead, let’s reflect back to our ancestors who, with self-determination and courage, beat the French army. With that same self-determination, we can do the same in our neighborhoods.