Alcohol Companies Catering to Young Binge Drinkers

Fact Sheet

Liquor companies targeting young children, leading to rise in binge drinking

Definition and Statistics

There are several definitions of what is considered binge drinking. The most common ones are (Binge Drinking 2014):
- Drinking so that you can deliberately get drunk
- Occasional and irregular bouts of heavy drinking
- Normally being a responsible drinker, but often overindulging
The report from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states that alcohol is responsible for 13 percent of all deaths among Australians between the ages of 14 and 17 years old (Binge Drinking 2014).
In 2013, statistics showed that binge drinking in Queensland was on the rise leading to 30 percent surge in the last five years in hospital presentations of intoxicated individuals (Chamberlin 2013).

Effectiveness of Media Campaigns

A study conducted by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, revealed 13 to 17 year olds were heavily exposed to alcohol marketing in traditional media outlets such as television and this level of exposure was 90 percent similar to the exposure of 19 to 29 year olds (AMA: Time for a new policy agenda).
Alcohol advertising is reaching unprecedented levels of young children due to the ubiquitous use of digital technologies and communication tools, i.e. social media websites, gaming websites, mobile phones, etc. These companies are making excessive use of viral marketing, a word-of-mouth marketing strategy that focuses on individuals passing on interesting messages (AMA: Time for a new policy agenda).
- Viral marketing not only ensures rapid dissemination of marketing material but also serve as peer endorsements thereby effectively increasing their persuasiveness (AMA: Time for a new policy agenda).
A 2011 cross-sectional survey of 1,113 Australian adolescents aged 12-17 years showed the majority had been exposed to alcohol advertising through a range of media channels, with television being the highest (94%) 75% in magazines, 61% on a billboard or poster, 55% on the Internet, 53% in a newspaper and 51% as promotional material (ANPHA 2014).

Products Targeted at Children

Liquor companies are also introducing products particularly catered to the youth market. Some of these products are (The Salvation Army 2006):
- Alcopops
  - Alcopops are often the first drink consumed by teenagers; these drinks are marketed towards children aged 13-16 years old (The Salvation Army 2006).
  - They give the appearance of fizzy drinks and are sold individually at very low prices thereby facilitating increased youth consumption (The Salvation Army 2006)
- Pre-packaged mixed drinks such as bourbon and cola
  - Marketed by liquor companies to be harmless drinks suitable for young children but one serving often contains three standard drinks of alcohol (The Salvation Army 2006).
- RTDs (ready to drink mixers)

List of References

Youth Central 2014, ‘Binge Drinking’. Available from: <http://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/health-relationships/binge-drinking>. [April 13, 2015].

Chamberlin, T 2013, ‘Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education figures show binge drinking injuries on the rise’. Available from: < http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/foundation-for-alcohol-research-and-education-figures-show-binge-drinking-injuries-on-the-rise/story-fnihsrf2-1226680905582>. [April 13, 2015].

AMA, n.d. ‘Alcohol Marketing and Young People: Time for a new policy agenda’. Available from: < https://www.healthway.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/ama-alcohol-marketing-and-young-people-time-for-a-new-policy-agenda.pdf >. [April 14, 2015].

The Salvation Army, 2006, ‘The Facts: Binge Drinking and Alcohol Abuse’. Available from: <https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/Global/Find%20us/the_facts_binge_drinking.pdf >. [April 13, 2014].

ANPHA 2014, ‘Chapter 3: Alcohol advertising and its Influence on Adolescents’. Available from: < http://www.anpha.gov.au/internet/anpha/publishing.nsf/Content/draft-report-alcohol-advertising+~chapter-3 >. [April 14, 2015].

Media Strategy

The press release is related to addressing issues which are believed to increased binge drinking among youth in Queensland. The press release is for an information session held at a community level regarding policy against liquor companies which are exploiting children by targeting them in extensive marketing campaigns.

To underline the intensity of the matter, I have mentioned striking statistics about binge drinking in the press release. Binge drinking is an extensive problem in Queensland and I would like the community to come together in an informal setting to address this issue. Young children are now drinking at an earlier age and forming drinking habits which put their health at risk (AMA Time for a new policy agenda n.d.). I would encourage parents and students to attend the event because these are the individuals that are highly affected by binge drinking in the younger population and have the capacity to influence policy formulation against liquor companies on the larger scale.

I would like for students that fall into the age groups which are targeted by liquor companies attend the session and given them an opportunity to understand how they are being subconsciously persuaded by these companies. Many companies including major brands – Fosters, WKD, Carling, Budweiser, Carlsberg, Bacardi and Smirnoff, have a dedicated website and and an effective social media presence thereby convincing minors to undertake drinking (Cohen 2011). Each of these websites is highly interactive and encourages user participation in games, contests, etc. (Cohen 2011).

In hopes of garnering media action for my press release, I have included a Fact List which further highlights striking statistics about binge drinking in younger populations and alcohol media campaigns targeting them. I believe that this is a statewide issue and because of its short term and long term impacts on health, it is essential for the community to come together and discuss it an informal, unbiased gathering. Binge drinking causes many ill-effects which not only involves the drinker but people around him/her. I believe that with significantly reduced parental supervision in our society, children are drinking at a younger age and are not fully aware of the adverse consequences of adopting unhealthy drinking habits at such an age (Youth Central 2014).

I will be issuing this press release from an angle in which I can dictate the consequences that binge drinking has on the community as well as the increased incidence of binge drinking and its proximity to Queensland. In 2013, there was an astonishing 30 percent increase in hospitalizations for individuals under the influence of alcohol (Chamberlin 2013). Although binge drinking is becoming increasingly prevalent among the youth, there will also be older individuals in the community who have struggled with alcoholism and can bring to light their experiences so as to further inform younger members of the community. I will also like for the community to come together and understand that they are in this ‘together’ and must combine their resources to influence statewide and national policies against liquor companies directly advertising to the youth.

I have also included contact details both in the press release and the Fact Sheet to further facilitate the ease of being contacted by popular local media outlets. I have also devised a logo for our organization, The Young Students’ Association and placed this at the top of the press release so that media outlets can easily correlate the event with our organization.

List of References

Cohen, T 2011, ‘Alcohol companies accused of exploiting Facebook, Twitter and Youtube by ‘targeting young people with drink campaigns’’. Available from: < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2027079/Facebook-Twitter-YouTube-exploited-alcohol-companies-targeting-young.html >. [April 14, 2015].

Youth Central 2014, ‘Binge Drinking’. Available from: <http://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/health-relationships/binge-drinking>. [April 13, 2015].