Alcohol Concern

Cymru

Mark Leyshon

New Media, New

Problem?

Alcohol Concern Cymru

Alcohol Concern opened its office in Wales in

2009. We are focusing on:

• Alcohol as a public health issue in Wales

• Developing recommendations on alcohol

policy

• Bringing people together to share ideas

• Developing innovative projects to address

alcohol harms

New media, new

problem?

What is “new media”?

A generic term for different forms of

electronic communication that are made

possible through the use of computer

technology.

New media includes:

• websites;

• online chat rooms;

• email;

• virtual reality environments; and

• online communities.

Viral marketing

Do you believe in

coincidence?

Alcohol brand websites

Websites of the most popular alcohol

brands amongst 11-17 year olds in

the UK:

• www.fosters.co.uk

• www.carling.com

• www.budweiser.co.uk

• www.carlsberg.co.uk

• www.bacardi.com

• www.smirnoff.com

“The computerized world of today‟s

youth is intensely personalized and fast-

paced, and alcohol websites offer many

features that provide those appeals, such

as screensavers/wallpapers, animation,

IM icons and email.”

“Clicking with the Kids”, the Center on Alcohol

Marketing and Youth (2004)

“... alcohol marketing on (alcohol) brand

websites is considerable. There are

justifiable concerns that some of the

content may appeal to younger people.”

“An audit of alcohol brand websites”, R. Gordon (2010)

Focus group responses

Experiences of brand websites:

• “If I wanted to know how much it is then I

would go on Tesco‟s website, I would never

think of going on the actual webpage.”

• “Alcoholics would probably go on those.”

Age affirmation pages:

• “I‟d just use my mum‟s [date of birth].”

• “You don‟t think „oh, I can‟t go on this‟.”

Online video websites

Social networking sites

• 49% of children aged 8 – 17 years who use

the internet have set up their own profile

on a SNS.

• 27% of 9 – 11 year olds who are aware of

SNSs state that they have a user profile.

Source: Ofcom

• 37% of children aged 13 – 15 years have

seen photos of their friends drunk on

SNSs.

Source: Drinkaware and Family Lives

Social networking sites are:

“...Online communities of people who

share interests and activities, or who

are interested in exploring the

interests and activities of others. “

“They provide a variety of ways for

users to interact through chat,

messaging and email.”

Online social networks report, 2008

Focus group responses

• “You‟re just used to seeing [drinking-

related posts].”

• “If you have got no pictures of you

drinking it would be boring.”

• “People will sometimes write a status,

it will be all muddled up, but even if

you are drunk and you concentrate you

can still do it. People do that for like,

attention.”

Focus group responses

• “Like, twelve year olds will write

drunken messages on it. They pretend

to be drunk, they misspell all the words

to make it look as though they are

drunk.”

“...young people themselves have

become part of the marketing strategy.

By using user-generated websites. Such

as YouTube, youngsters become free

and influential marketers... In this way it

becomes very difficult for policy makers

to distinguish advertising from

expressions by consumers.”

European Centre for Monitoring Alcohol

Marketing (2009)

Blurring the lines

Solutions?

• Alcohol brand websites should restrict

content to factual information about their

products.

• Official alcohol marketing should not be

permitted on SNSs, and alcohol producers

and administrators should take steps to

end the use of registered alcohol

trademarks, pictures and images on

unofficial pages.

• Health bodies need to counter official

alcohol marketing and pro-drinking

messages on the internet by utilising new

media themselves.

Thank you.

Any questions?

www.alcoholconcern.org.uk

acwales@alcoholconcern.org.uk

029 2022 6746

www.drinkwisewales.org.uk