Alcohol Use in Media

Alcohol & Drug Use in Movies (El-Kouryet et al., 2019)

• Analyzed 33 Hollywood films from 2016 (PG, PG-13, R).
• Found an average of 6 scenes of substance use per film
• Alcohol was the substance in 68% of cases.
• Comedy is often associated with getting drunk and doing stupid, funny.

Alcohol Use in TV Workplace Dramas (Mayrhofer & Matthes, 2018)

• Examined 8 TV workplace dramas (80 episodes), like Grey's Anatomy.
• 92.5% of episodes contained depictions or references to alcohol.
• One-third of beverages consumed at work were alcoholic
• 71% of beverages consumed outside of work were alcoholic
• Characters were more likely to be shown holding an alcoholic drink versus a non-alcoholic drink.
• Alcohol is pervasive in both movies and television.

Alcohol in the Music Industry

• Most research indicates that 20-25% of top songs reference alcohol, sometimes specific brands
• Alcohol is not only referenced in lyrics, but also sponsored by alcohol companies
• Musical artists and festivals are sponsored by alcohol companies
• Musical artists act as spokespeople for alcohol companies
• Musical artists own their own brands of alcohol
• In 2022, 10 brands sponsored Music Festivals and 50% involved alcohol

Alcohol in Social Media

• Active Users: One-quarter to over 90% of users post/share content, varying by sample/platform.
• Research on teens/young adults shows figures closer to 90%.
• Users post for fun and entertainment for their friends/followers.
• Passive Users: Over 90% view content.
• Users saw alcohol images on social media ~16 times in the past 30 days
• Influencers: Popular with teens, sharing >2,000 alcohol images over four weeks.
• Alcohol is found in advertising and marketing for restaurants, bars, and alcohol brands

Approaches to Studying Alcohol & Media

• Administrative Approaches
• Focus: Impact of media images on attitudes and behaviors
• Communication Model: "Who says what to whom and with what effect"
  • What: words, images, message.
  • Whom: receiver
  • Cause and effect relationships exist
  • Exposure to alcohol messages in media affects youth attitudes, intentions, and future drinking habits.
  • Exposure can lead to brand-specific underage drinking
  • The brands exposed to the most are most popular
• Macro-level influences exist on a micro-level
• Research questions cover larger social structures influencing choices, like music artists/TV shows having alcohol images

Critical Approaches

• Emphasis on media's role in constructing issues, events, and identities
• Focus on larger social processes and how media shapes understanding of the world and ourselves.
• Symbolic power shapes perceptions and understanding of reality, rather than individual audience members
• How media shapes society, cultural norms, and values.
• Cultural meaning of alcohol is shaped by its presence in media, associating it with fun and friendships
• There are structures and processes of power with most of the alcohol owned by ~6 companies, influencing policies and ads

Impact on Youth Consumption

• Youth exposed to excessive alcohol images, especially when consumption is normal and fun, are more likely to feel safe consuming it

Drinking Practices and Practice Theory

• Practice theory emphasizes routinized ways of doing things, using things, thinking, and ‘know-how.'
• Practices represent complex interactions between individuals and their social/material worlds
• Changes in alcohol consumption practices are related to changes in communications technologies.

Affordances

• Affordances represent the functionalities of things and their meanings
• Material elements encourage, concede, demand, close off or turn down interaction.
• Practices afford the possibility of effects like comfort or relaxation
• Technologies invite users to take within the context of society

Social Media and Drinking

• Social Media & Increased Drinking: Platforms allow drinking with friends during COVID-19 lockdowns.
• Communication technologies create social drinking opportunities, but they did not encourage heavy drinking
• Physically meeting up can spontaneously provide more opportunities to drink
• Coordinating Practices Online: Advantage of "free houses", weekends or holidays as sites for drinking
• Social media invites connect people to drink in a place and time, setting expectations around drinking + Bundled "nights out practices

Social Media & Decreased Drinking:

• Technology-enabled communication is unbundled from other practices of in-person socializing, flirting and drinking
• Communication tech integrated into nights out through phone checking and fluid movement using technology

Media & Drinking

• Phones and social media in drinking contexts provide entertainment, respite, and online socializing making it easier to drink
• Communications technologies decentralize drinking and can disrupt drinking

Activities in Promotional Culture

• Marketing
• Ads
• Public relations
• Media
• Influencers
• Promotions

Groups Involved in Advertising & Marketing

• Packaging designers: packaging has an impact on a targeted audience Ex: Changing beer bottle shape from stubby to taller shape
• Client brand teams: brand's message and key features
• Agencies: create ads
• Merchandisers: oversee product placement Ex: Liquor depot had Snoop Dog poster
• Social media managers: manage a brand's footprint
• Market researchers: use psychological findings for effective themes
• Media companies: provide ad placement
• Efforts that create the final coordination

Alcohol Industry Spending

• 6 alcohol conglomerates are in the top 100 advertisers
• AB inBev: 9th largest advertiser, globally spending US$6.2 billion/year
• The US spends more on advertising than the rest of the world
  • AB inBev = $591 million
  • Diageo = $49 million
  • E & J Gallo Winery = $8.2 million

Product Placement

• When a specific brand is placed in a movie scene, tv show, music
• Overall, global spends $29 billion on product placements
• 46/50 of top movies contain product placements
• Alcohol Brands: 14/50 movies had alcohol brands like Miller, Budweiser, Bd Light, Johnny Walker, Malibu Rum
• $146million on placements in FastX

Sponsorship Agreements

• Sponsored primarily by sports and music festivals
• US: AB inBev invests $360-$365 million/year
• 60 Universities are included, highers the drinking age
• MacEwan offers special beer brand
• Targeted audiences: needs to attract all consumers versus targeted groups

Branding

• Consists of branding and brand equity
• Includes celebrities, political leaders
• Commodity fetishism relates to value, through meaning or status.

Tangible & Intangible Benefits of Branding

• Tangible: taste and affordability
• Intangible: marketers build emotional and intangible benefits, becoming extensions of a consumer's self-identity
• Known as symbolic self-completion

Branding in Youth Culture

• It’s used to establish their identities, and desired self-image
• Attaches values to brand labels and symbols
• Used to judge others, communicate social status

Motivations for Consumption & Marketing

• Links consumption with social successes
• Social and enhancement motives
• Driven by concept of friendship and socializing
• Marketing ads are broadcasted on TV to extract persuasiveness to buy alcohol
• Marketing appeals to extraversion, impulsivity and sensation seeking

Brand Allegiance

• A study that increased odds of drinking by respondents who had a favorite brand by 356%
• Binge drinking also increased
• Owning and using can be an indicator to an emotion

Branding In Social Media

• SNS has the conversation and interactions of users through accumulated likes
• Four country in Germany increased the odds of overdrinking
• Social networking is a culture for youths
• Creating customer identities through social cues and behaviors

Brand & User-Authored Content

• The content works together to enhance branding with marketing messages
• Branded promotes interaction between users
• Seeks desirable brand association and interest
• Encourages feelings about brand, images, and marketing through consumer consumption
• Can lead to impression/conspiracy to social value

Alcohol Marketing Characteristics

• The right product
• At the right place
• At the right price
• Promote for targeted audience

Imperfect Structures

• Failed due to the Market Monopoly and lack of control

WHO Recommendations

• Banning target towards young people and heavy consumers

Society's most vulnerable

• Best buying, enforce bans across media
• Getting rid of control altogether

Alcohol Industry Characteristics

• Convergence is owned by companies in multiple forms Examples: whiskey, beer, etc.
• Companies merge via conglomeration Examples: brands and AB InBev (2015)
• A small industry controls concentration

Largest Industries

• AbInBev
• Heineken
• DIAGEO
• MOUTAI
• Asahi

Exercised Power

• Spending money on advertisements
• Entertainment, media, industries
• Includes the Production of Ignorance, Manufacturing, or swerving public opinion through veneer
• The company has power to manipulate public opinion to shape the public and attitude

Research

• Critics were responded by Nelsons response
• The SNS is an part of youth for a marketing campaign