A vodka company billboard recently seen near San Diego State University is raising questions about university advertisements.
The billboard, which was located on Mission Gorge Road near Mission Gorge Place, had a red background with large white lettering that read, “Official Vodka of SDSU Athletics.” It also showed a bottle of Three Olives Vodka and the company’s logo, alongside an SDSU logo.
NBC 7 reached out to SDSU for a comment on the billboard and received the following response:
“These billboards were not approved by the university and SDSU was in no way involved with their production. We have since reached out to the company to remove these billboards.”
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NBC 7 also reached to Three Olives Vodka, which sent this statement:
“Three Olives Vodka is an official sponsor of San Diego State University Athletics and a founding partner of Snapdragon Stadium. Our relationship dates back to the beginning of the athletic season and includes joint promotions around stadium activity. We will continue to promote responsible alcohol consumption across everything we do.”
According to Google Maps, the billboard was located roughly 2.5 miles from Snapdragon Stadium and 3 miles from SDSU’s main campus.
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NBC 7 spoke with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)’s national president Alex Otte, who said MADD is opposed to alcohol advertisements on or near college campuses. In addition, according to their organization policies, “MADD recommends that sponsorship of campus events by alcohol beverage companies be avoided.” The reason, they said, is because the majority of college students are under the age of 21.
Research into concessions at Snapdragon Stadium revealed that Three Olives Vodka is served to visitors at The Still by Cutwater Bar.
When asked if Three Olives Vodka was allowed any advertising rights because of its involvement in Snapdragon Stadium, SDSU sent another statement to NBC 7:
“With the development of Snapdragon Stadium, SDSU Athletics entered into several new sponsorships. As with any sponsorship, the use of marks, logos and slogans must be approved. These billboards were not reviewed nor approved.
Upon learning of the existence of these billboards, the university reached out to the company to immediately request their removal. The company has confirmed that the billboards have since been removed.”
While NBC 7 is only aware of the billboard on Mission Gorge Road, SDSU repeatedly referred to more than one billboard in their statements. When asked, SDSU did not respond to questions about other billboards.
