ABAC has recently published its best practice guide for responsible alcohol sponsorship. The new guide highlights how the code currently applies to sponsorship activity, and importantly, the new guidance for sponsorship agreements will assist the industry to proactively ensure that their decision to engage in an agreement with a particular individual, group or event is socially responsible.
This valuable new resource will assist the industry in maintaining socially responsible marketing practices. We encourage alcohol marketers to share this resource with their sponsorship and marketing teams and incorporate it into their internal policies.
The guide is a useful addition to ABAC’s existing range of compliance training resources, which are freely available on the ABAC website, and the ABAC pre-vetting service for checking ads before going to market.
With the final quarter of 2024 attracting an increase in complaints, determinations and code breaches, it is timely for alcohol marketers to revisit these resources and ensure that their staff and agencies complete the free online training course available on the ABAC website.
Last quarter social media posts and website images showing or directly implying alcohol consumption before or while swimming in a pool or engaging in water-based activities were the most common reason for a code breach. It is well understood that for safety reasons, a person should not drink alcohol and then swim, and therefore, companies should not show this behaviour when promoting alcohol products and sales.
Other concerns that resulted in breaches of code standards highlight for marketers where care is needed when developing marketing included:
- use of themes that are relatable to minors, such as images of confectionery or Santa Claus;
- suggestions that alcohol offers hydration, a health benefit or the absence of negative consequences;
- suggestions that drinking alcohol will help you make friends or lift your mood; and
- placement during a children’s podcast.
ABAC’s Fourth Quarterly Report for 2024, detailing decisions made during the past quarter, is available online.
