At first glance, the growing trend for companies – even Big Alcohol companies – to produce zero-alcohol or low-alcohol products seems positive. But as Movendi International has previously reported Big Alcohol is known to exploit their NoLo products and brands to just further market their alcoholic brands. This is known as alibi-marketing.
That is why communities and public health leaders are increasingly raising concerns about how the alcohol industry uses NoLos to promote alcohol sales. For example, Sabine Jansen, a behavioral psychologist, questions the freedom allowed for alcohol companies to promote their non-alcoholic products without adhering to usual alcohol marketing laws.
Currently, marketing for most non-alcoholic products does not follow the regulations for marketing of alcoholic products even if it’s from the same brand/company. For example, Heineken 0.0 does not need to adhere to the marketing regulations for regular alcoholic Heineken products.
Jansen points out two problems with this:
- Associating alcohol products with driving.
- Alibi marketing for the brand.
Advertisements for non-alcoholic products indicate that people can drive safely even after consuming zero-alcohol products such as 0.0 beer. However, people only associate the brand with the message, which makes it risky.
As a consumer, you don’t watch all the ads from back to front. You remember the message that it’s okay to [have alcohol] behind the wheel. That’s a dangerous association to awaken,” said Sabine Jansen, Behavioral Psychologist, as per STAP.
Sabine Jansen, Behavioral Psychologist
Furthermore, ads for non-alcoholic products associate people with having a good time and socializing. In the long run, this can make people link an alcohol brand with having a good time.
When you see people having a good time, you associate booze with socializing. In the longer term, a brand association also arises, so that you link sociability to a brand,” said Sabine Jansen, Behavioral Psychologist, as per STAP.
Sabine Jansen, Behavioral Psychologist
According to Ms Jansen, the question remains whether the arrival of zero alcohol products are a positive development.
We don’t know. For example, I understand that the Trimbos Institute says it is a gateway because you get used to the taste,” said Sabine Jansen, Behavioral Psychologist, as per STAP.
Sabine Jansen, Behavioral Psychologist
How Big Alcohol Exploits No-Alcohol Products
Previously, Movendi International exposed how Big Alcohol markets NoLo products in unethical ways.
The Institute of Alcohol Policy Studies (IAS) released a report on the marketing and consumption of no and low-alcohol products (NoLo). The report was written by Dr. Emily Nicholls, a Lecturer in Sociology, the University of York, UK.
The reports exposed that, Big Alcohol uses NoLo marketing in unethical ways.
- Addition marketing. This means NoLo is marketed by alcohol companies as a product to use in addition to alcohol products. Such as on occasions where using alcohol is not an option.
- For example, 25% of the time, Heineken 0.0 was marketed in the “workplace of productivity” category.
- Heineken 0.0 was also marketed in cars or the gym.
- Heineken also exploited the Dry January campaign to market Heineken 0.0.
- Stealth marketing. This means promoting the alcohol brand as a whole, which includes alcoholic products and not just the NoLo products.
- This is an indirect marketing strategy that circumvents alcohol marketing laws that would apply to usual alcohol products.