Is the alcohol industry’s glass half empty or half full?
If ever there is an industry that ties itself in knots trying to appear socially responsible it is the booze business.
Alcohol is demonised as the cause of so many social ills, from being a drain on the NHS to the cause of hooliganism and violent crime. The alcohol industry, and by association its marketing partners, have consistently been under scrutiny for half a decade and has faced increasingly tighter regulations on how its products are advertised and promoted.
The current government has long threatened increased regulation if manufacturers don’t do more to help tackle alcohol abuse and now the industry seems to be drinking in the last chance saloon, as far as Labour is concerned. Drinks industry stakeholders appear to be talking about forming an alliance to promote healthy attitudes to drinking but it could be too little too late
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The crux of the problem is that no matter how much they may try to appear responsible, it is hard not to believe that the alcohol suppliers are ultimately devoted to selling more of their product. Individual brands may argue they are fighting for share of throat but there is a question mark over whether a population adopting sensible drinking within government guidelines will deliver the overall volumes required by the beer, wine and spirits companies.
The contortions are plain to see, from the recent stance taken by industry body the Portman Group on any suggestion that 500 ml “super strength” lagers should be cut down in size to the latest campaign by Wines from Rioja, the wine marketing body.
The latter has just unveiled a campaign called Talk Rioja to try to encourage people to consider drinking Rioja “in social contemporary drinking occasions” rather than just with food. It is an attempt to reposition the wine but the underlying subtext seems to encourage drinking more Rioja on an empty stomach.
However, the drinks industry may have the chance to forge a new alliance if a Conservative government is returned at the next election. This week shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has set out a “responsibility deal” signalling that if his party was in power it would rule out further legislation - or less “nannying” as he puts it - for the drinks (and food) industries, if said industries can work out new ways of labelling and effective responsible consumption messages.
Given that the industry has already for some time been placing sensible drinking messages or the website address for the drinkaware.co.uk on its advertising (70,000 unique visitors to the website in July), it is hard to see what more it can offer in terms of creating effective strategies.
Presumably industry marketers and the creative minds at agencies handling alcohol accounts are now focused as much on tackling the sensible drinking challenge as brand building messages. It should certainly be a consideration for those pitching for the Stella Artois business and those who may be talking to Heineken.
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