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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
029 2022 6746
www.drinkwisewales.org.uk