Citation

Thompson K, DeWolf D, MacDonald-Spracklin R, Frank D, Cooper S. Subst. Use Misuse 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10826084.2022.2151826

PMID

36629435

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alcohol marketing is a known risk factor for youth drinking. The growth in digital marketing has generated a new form of alcohol advertisement in which brands solicit and/or share consumer-generated or user-generated content.

OBJECTIVES: The current study investigates the prevalence of UGC alcohol advertising on social media and examines the content of UGC advertising to determine potential violations of current regulatory guidelines.

RESULTS: The Instagram accounts of 20 Nova Scotia breweries were monitored for the month of July 2021. User-generated content made up a substantial portion (41%) of all Instagram stories (n = 1531), and there were 321 violations of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission code for broadcast advertising of alcoholic beverage. Ten percent of violations encouraged consumption, 59% depicted irresponsible use, 14% appealed to youth, 14% associated alcohol with activities requiring a degree of skill or care, 2.5% associated alcohol with social or personal success.

CONCLUSIONS/Importance: These findings indicate that UGC is a commonly used marketing strategy among alcohol producers and the current self-regulatory system is insufficient in preventing advertising that appeals to youth and exacerbates a culture of immoderate consumption.

Language: en

Keywords

alcohol; Alcohol advertising; Instagram; user-generated content