A new Alcohol Concern briefing paper has warned over 'brand stretching', a marketing strategy which links alcohol brands to non-alcoholic products. Alcohol Concern suggest the strategy allows alcohol companies to keep their products in consumers’ minds at times when they’re not ordinarily drinking.
'Brand stretch: How alcohol brands are pushing marketing boundaries' [pdf] warns that whilst alcohol brand stretching is currently limited to just a few companies in the UK, it seems to be a growing global trend. It warns that brand stretching - or 'catergory extensions' - may be seen by the industry as a further way to increase reach, particularly should tougher marketing restrictions come about in future.
In the UK, alcohol category extensions are permitted provided they are not in breach of the Portman Group’s Code of Practice of the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks. However concerns are highlighted that brand stretching still involves products that are typically appealing to children, such as crisps, chocolates and ice cream. This risks introducing children to familiarity and potentially loyalty to alcohol brands.
Mark Leyshon, Research and Policy Officer at Alcohol Concern said:
“Previous research by Alcohol Concern has shown that children as young as 10 and 11 recognise some alcohol brands better than popular brands of snacks. If they’re seeing big drinks brands on the foods in the fridge and the mugs in the cupboard, that’s an extra dose of alcohol advertising right under their noses.”
Alcohol Concern continue to call for tougher restrictions on alcohol marketing in the UK, including an end to alcohol sponsorship of cultural and sporting events, and that alcohol messages be restricted to adult audiences and contain only factual information about products.
In 2009 the BMA published 'Under the influence: The damaging effect of alcohol marketing on young people'. A report in 2009 highlighted how alcohol advertising linked alcoholic drinks with fun, humour and as a "social glue". In 2011 Alcohol Concern warned how children and young people are at risk of being exposed to alcohol marketing and pro-drinking messages via the internet, and presentations from its 2012 Wales conference on marketing are here.
An insightful exploration of alcohol marketing and some of the complex research and policy issues are analysed in this ADHS blog 'The drip feed'.
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