alcohol marketing: reviewing the evidence and pushing the boundaries of “interactivity” patrick...
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ALCOHOL MARKETING: REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE AND PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF “INTERACTIVITY”Patrick KennyDublin Institute of Technology
What does this tell us?
It tells us not to “waste” a night But being “wasted” is important for many young
people It tells us who paid for it
Diageo is bigger than the drink sensibly message “As many as 9 out of 10 consumers thought that
it was good to see Diageo Ireland advertising a responsible drinking message.” - Diageo Ireland Corporate Citizenship Report 2005
For students, drink sensibly = don’t drink & drive
But most importantly...
It tells us that alcohol marketers know that marketing works
Power of marketing often denied Advertising is designed to support
alcohol brands in a declining market - not to recruit new consumers
c. €2m per annum on drinking sensibly c. €70m per annum promoting alcohol
products
You can’t have your cake and eat it...
Argument relies on econometric studies
Total alcohol consumption and total advertising expenditure over a period of years or months
Generally suggests no (or very small) relationship between advertising and alcohol consumption
Weakness of econometric studies
Estimates only Only medias spend, ignores creativity
costs International spillover Lagged effects over time Marginal effects likely to be small Marketing mix Ignores youth segment
Why segmentation is important
Young people a significant concern
May be an average of no effect amongst established drinkers and a more significant impact on younger consumers
Adolescents with less experience more susceptible to advertising
Reliance on econometrics is ironic
Advertisers do not use econometrics themselves!
Advertising effectiveness measured at consumer level, not population level
Consumer studies
Big problem for traditional advertising
But online engages like never before
Interactive websites
http://mixitup.jamesonwhiskey.com/
They don’t all have age controls Google “Bulmer’s Pear”
Social networking sites
Exponential growth
Facebook growth in Ireland since 4/10
Alcohol brands on Facebook
People over a certain age normally clueless
4 of top 10 Irish Facebook pages are for alcohol brands
Guinness Ireland 156,000+ fans
Access can be restricted ...but 4 of top 15 allowed a 15 year join up
User generated material
Individuals become powerful marketers
Immersive environments
Players take on new identities and live a “second life”
Actively targeted by alcohol brands
Provide much more meaningful interaction than traditional advertising
iPhone applications
Often available for free
Powerfully combines interaction, GPS location services and ability to share with others
User becomes a marketer
Phone is very personal and important and therefore powerful
Offline marketing of online sites Traditional advertising used to drive
people to interact
Issues to consider
First task is to protect the young Eliminate Facebook for underage Prevent underage from “Liking” alcohol
brands No back-clicks to correct ages Independent proof of age for branded
websites similar to gambling and pornography sites
But it’s not just about the young Not suddenly immune to marketing at 18 Apply spirit of the advertising codes to
apps and games Bobsleigh/driving concept in Budweiser Ice
Cold app Industry can restrict user generated
material through intellectual property rights