Participation with alcohol marketing and user-created promotion on social media, and the association with higher-risk alcohol consumption and brand identification among adolescents in the UK

Nathan Critchlow,Anne Marie Mackintosh,Lucie Hooper,Christopher Thomas,Jyotsna Vohra

doi:10.1080/16066359.2019.1567715

Nathan Critchlow, Anne Marie Mackintosh + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2019.1567715

Copy DOI

Abstract

Aim: To explore participation with alcohol marketing (i.e. commenting on brand statuses) and user-created promotion on social media (i.e. photos of peers drinking) by young people in the United Kingdom (UK), and what association this has with higher-risk consumption and brand identification.Method: Online cross-sectional survey with 11–19-year olds in the UK (n = 3,399) (average age: 15 years old). Past-month participation was measured for five forms of alcohol marketing on social media and one form of user-created promotion (all Yes/No). Past-month awareness of nine wider alcohol marketing activities, social media apps used at least weekly, and ownership of branded merchandise were included as covariates. Outcomes included higher-risk consumption in current drinkers (≥5 AUDIT-C) and brand identification in all respondents (8 pictures with brand names removed).Results: Over one-in-ten respondents (13.2%) had participated with at least one form of marketing on social media or participated with user-created promotion (12.2%). For both, participation was greater in current drinkers and those of legal purchasing age. A logistic regression found that participation with two or more forms of marketing on social media (AOR = 1.96, p < .01) and participation with user-created promotion (AOR = 3.46, p < .001) were associated with higher-risk drinking. Respondents, on average, identified 2.58 (SD = 2.12) alcohol brands. A linear regression found participation with marketing on social media was not associated with brand identification (β = 0.01, p = .42) but participation with user-created promotion was (β = 0.05, p < .001).Conclusion: Social media provides opportunities for adolescents to participate with commercial marketing and user-created promotion and this is associated with higher-risk consumption and brand identification.

Highlights

The relationship between alcohol marketing and consumption in adolescents and young adults has been a topic of debate for decades (Gordon et al 2009), with systematic reviews reporting a causal relationship between exposure and consumption (Anderson et al 2009; Jernigan et al 2017)
Branding is an important part of the alcohol marketing process (Hastings et al 2010; Roberts et al 2016), with research finding that young people are knowledgeable of brand names, associate brands with positive and desirable identities, and that owning branded merchandise or having a favourite brand is associated with consumption (McClure et al 2013; Morey et al 2017; Purves et al 2018)
The results show that social media provides varied and dynamic ways for young people in the UK to participate with messages promoting alcohol, and that such participation is associated with higher-risk drinking

Summary

Introduction

The relationship between alcohol marketing and consumption in adolescents and young adults (young people) has been a topic of debate for decades (Gordon et al 2009), with systematic reviews reporting a causal relationship between exposure and consumption (Anderson et al 2009; Jernigan et al 2017). Branding is an important part of the alcohol marketing process (Hastings et al 2010; Roberts et al 2016), with research finding that young people are knowledgeable of brand names, associate brands with positive and desirable identities, and that owning branded merchandise or having a favourite brand is associated with consumption (McClure et al 2013; Morey et al 2017; Purves et al 2018). Online is the fastest growing advertising medium in the UK, and expenditure (£10.3 billion) is double that of television advertising (£5.2 billion) (OFCOM 2017c). New media technology has created a ‘digital marketing mix’ which includes ‘paid for’ advertising (e.g. pop-ups), ‘owned media’ (e.g. websites), and ‘earned media’ (e.g. user-generated content on social media) (Arnhold 2010). Compared to traditional media (e.g. television), social media has several commercial advantages, including the Supplemental data for this article is available online at here

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion