US drinks manufacturers are strongly refuting charges of deliberately marketing their products to underage drinkers. However, every alcoholic drink manufacturer targets young legal drinkers and this may give enough grounds for the case to proceed. In the UK, manufacturers have started to use more sophisticated positioning to avoid this problem.
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In the US, the drinks industry is the latest to face a lawsuit on the iniquities of its marketing strategies. In this instance, the charge is that several manufacturers have deliberately targeted underage drinkers.
There are seven companies named in the suit: Coors, Mark Anthony, Bacardi, Kobrand, Heineken, Brown-Forman and Diageo. The claim against them alleges a “long-running, sophisticated and deceptive scheme by manufacturers to market alcoholic beverages to children and other underage consumers”. The suit further claims that 15-20% of all alcoholic beverages sold in the US are consumed by underage drinkers.
The charge of marketing to underage drinkers is one that all alcohol manufacturers are keen to avoid. However, this goal conflicts with the desire to target consumers who have just reached legal drinking age. Young drinkers form a significant sector of the drinks market, willing to spend a lot of money in bars and on parties. It therefore makes sense that manufacturers market products that will appeal to these valuable consumers. The risk is that these products will also appeal to underage consumers. In the US, where the legal drinking age is 21, the risk of attracting underage consumers is even higher.
In the UK, groups such as Alcohol Concern have challenged alcopops for targeting young consumers. Hooch, the UK’s first alcopop, was recently removed from circulation partly because defending alcoholic lemonade against this charge was too time-consuming.
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By GlobalDataUK manufacturers now market alcopops with a more sophisticated, grown-up image. The hope is that this will still attract aspirational young drinkers (who want to look mature and confident) while avoiding any possible charge of marketing to underage drinkers. Brown-Forman was named in the US suit for running a wine ad with a young looking model. The fact that the model was in fact over 30 should stand the company in good stead.
