British drinks major Diageo has welcomed Senate Bill LD704, which will allow beer, wine and spirits companies to use different modern methods to engage with and offer promotional pricing to consumers of legal drinking age.
Sponsored by Senator John Tuttle, the bill will come into effect from 1 January 2015.
The legislation provides marketing flexibility to alcoholic firms by removing the necessity of placing mail-in rebates only on the package or bottle.
However, the marketers can now include Maine in free standing inserts coupon programs in newspapers, as well as creating online social media mail-in rebate couponing programs or engage in targeted email or mail programs to consumer brand data bases.
Diageo North America Northeast Government Relations senior director Dwayne Kratt said, "We applaud their commitment to modernize Maine's alcohol beverage laws for the benefit of Maine consumers."
The bill is a continuation to pro-consumer changes that the legislature and the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operations have passed and supported over the last couple of years, which allows tastings in bars, restaurants and liquor stores, permitting instant redeemable coupons and marketing of spirits outside of the spirits section in grocery stores.
