Hearts, Minds and the Bottom Line: h ow m arketing turned us into drunks

ISMInstituteforSocial Marketing Hearts, Minds and the Bottom Line: how marketing turned us into drunks Gerard Hastings York12th November 2010

Structure Hearts, Minds and the Bottom Line • Marketing: “behaviour change, but not as we know it captain” • Effects are well established and widely recognised (except by industry) • Only belong: the subtleties of branding • Learning from tobacco

What is marketing? • The processes business uses to encourage consumption of its products: • Multifaceted • Strategic and long term – relationships not just transactions: the who as well as the what • Seeking to influence the behaviour of customers, stakeholders even competitors • It is taking over the world

What is marketing? mass media advertising billboards press television

What is marketing other marketing communications point of sale free samples mass media advertising brand stretching internet billboards press television product placement sponsorship packaging

What is marketing other marketing communications point of sale free samples mass media advertising brand stretching internet billboards press television product placement sponsorship packaging This is what we tend to focus on

Football Sponsorship Electronic Gig Guide Venues Mass Media Advertising Merchandise Social Networking Sites Texting Websites POS Competitions Electronic Gadgets Festival Sponsorship Young person

What is marketing other marketing communications point of sale price promotions mass media advertising pack design internet television press billboards sponsorship branding merchandising Cumulative impact: these communications are designed to reinforce and support one another and build evocative brands

What is marketing consumer marketing other marketing communications point of sale free samples mass media advertising product design brand stretching price internet television press billboards product placement sponsorship packaging distribution

What is marketing stakeholder marketing consumer marketing corporate affairs social marketing other marketing communications point of sale free samples mass media advertising product design brand stretching price internet television press billboards product placement sponsorship media know- how packaging Comp analysis distribution corporate social responsibility

What is marketing stakeholder marketing consumer marketing corporate affairs social marketing other marketing communications A powerful and pervasive influencer of individual behaviour, social norms and the regulatory environment “behaviour change, but not as we know it captain” point of sale free samples mass media advertising product design brand stretching price internet television press billboards product placement sponsorship media know- how packaging Comp analysis distribution corporate social responsibility

Used a cohort design to investigate the impact of alcohol marketing Random sample of 1000 13 year olds followed up at 15; asked about drinking and marketing In-home interviews, plus self completion for the sensitive information (eg on drinking) Funded under the National Prevention Research Initiative (consortium funding led by the Medical Research Council) ISM research

Found no effects... …at least according to the Portman Group

The truth of the matter • Study results • Alcohol promotion is astonishingly ubiquitous • It is influencing young people’s drinking behaviour

* Note: question wording varied between stages

The truth • Effects • After controlling for important confounding variables significant associations emerged between awareness, appreciation and involvement with alcohol marketing at Stage 1 with drinking behaviour at Stage 2: • uptake of drinking • amount consumed Gordon, MacKintosh and Moodie (in press) The impact of alcohol marketing on youth drinking behaviour: A two-stage cohort study Alcohol and Alcoholism This is nothing new….

“it is undeniable that alcohol advertising acts as an encouragement to consumption” (European Court of Justice ruling – C152/78 (2002) Evidence statement 5: There is conclusive evidence of a small but consistent association of advertising with consumption at a population level. There is also evidence of small but consistent effects of advertising on consumption of alcohol by young people at an individual level. (UK Gvt Review (2008) “alcohol advertising increases both the uptake of drinking and consumption in young people” (Science Committee of the EU Commission Alcohol Forum 2009) “Longitudinal studies consistently suggest that exposure to media and commercial communications on alcohol is associated with the likelihood that adolescents will start to drink alcohol, and with increased drinking amongst baseline drinkers.” Alcohol and Alcoholism 2009

Beyond alcohol • Marketing effects on behaviour are also clear for • • tobacco√(NCI, 2009) • • energy dense food √(WHO, 2006)

Found no effects... …at least according to the Portman Group

Found no effects... …at least according to the Portman Group Slur, selection and partiality The Portman Group leopard has not changed its spots This is ‘sta keholder marketing’ in action This is ‘stakeholder marketing’ in action

Lambrini: market research Carling defines the purpose of its music sponsorship as to: “Build the image of the brand and recruit young male drinkers” “quick female gags based on sex and drunkenness” and “aligning itself’” with concepts such as “being naughty, rude, outrageous or badly behaved”: “They [young men] think about 4 things, we brew 1 and sponsor 2 of them” “Ultimately, the band are the heroes at the venue and Carling should use them to ‘piggy back’ and engage customers [sic] emotions” Lambrini went on to make ads called “Thong” and “Tit tape”

Brief You are part of the brand management team for Carling the UK’s leading beer brand Listen to the brief from the consumer research team and think through how you might use it to help enhance the brand What is the big idea?

Brief You are part of the brand management team for Carling Listen to the brief and think through how you might use it to help enhance the brand What is the big idea? sociability

Beer drinking is not about hops and flavour, its about mates and friendship Forget facts and statistics this is hopes and dreams territory Hints, nudges, associations and images Branding

Beer drinking is not about hops and flavour, its about mates and friendship Forget facts and statistics this is hopes and dreams territory Hints, nudges, associations and images Branding But for Carling there is another problem

The magic of branding provides an enchanted solution…

It completely defies regulation If your life doesn’t have much in the way of excitement or hope, these are likely to be particularly evocative Branding Image Feelings Stories

Learning from tobacco Four key lessons: • Distance ourselves from industry • Detail the health and social costs of drinking • Develop a clear, agreed and evidence-based strategy • Adopt a population level focus

Conclusions • Marketing is a powerful multifaceted discipline • Stakeholder marketing makes working with the industry a hazardous pursuit • The subtleties of branding make content regulation impossible • Tobacco control has shown us the way – especially the value of coherence and evidence

Conclusions Its time the public health movement united behind the call for a comprehensive ban on alcohol advertising

Sally’s ppt • Most of alcohol market are consumed in heavy drinking sessions • Goal = reduced harm • Goals differ, means are the same • Marketing key • NGO and civil society key

Found no effects... …at least according to the Portman Group Slur, selection and partiality The Portman Group leopard has not changed its spots This is ‘stakeholder marketing’ in action

Hearts, Minds and the Bottom Line: h ow m arketing turned us into drunks