Promotion of products is always a complex matter which in certain cases implies having a considerable responsibility for the way the good is being marketed. The article “Responsibility and Brand Advertising in the Alcoholic Beverage Market” by Debra Jones Ringold provides insight into the methods of advertising alcohol. The article indicates that the brand and responsibility advertisements highlight alcohol consumption as socially acceptable, while media advocacy campaigns focus on the role of manufacturers and society.
The article contains many relevant points, but five of them can be considered as the most significant ones. First of all, the United States has a mature alcohol market which forces manufacturers to market their products by stressing their advantages over the competitors (Ringold, 2008). Essentially, brands choose the differentiation strategy described by Michael Porter, which implies providing a unique customer value proposition. Brand advertising seeks to make the client buy a certain product from a variety of others, while industry-sponsored responsible drinking advertising aims at persuading consumers to espouse safe drinking practices (Ringold, 2008). Basically, the messages of brands and responsible drinking campaigns vary in the effect that they try to achieve. Still, research shows that both brand and campaign advertising portray low-risk alcohol consumption as socially acceptable and normal (Ringold, 2008). Such a tendency can be expected since both types of advertising are funded by alcohol manufacturers.
The article also contains information on the results of the research into the social acceptance of drinking. According to studies on the social learning theory, the behavior of alcohol use is learned within a cultural context (Ringold, 2008). Thus, it is possible to state that industry-sponsored responsible drinking advertising also contributes to the promotion of alcohol consumption in society. At the same time, public media advocacy campaigns attempt to discredit alcohol manufacturers in the eyes of consumers (Ringold, 2008). Personally, after watching media advocacy advertisements, I always remind myself of the significance of safe drinking. Yet, when watching industry-sponsored responsible drinking advertising, I usually think of spending time with my friends.
The article by Debra Jones Ringold on advertising in the alcohol beverage market and delivers considerable insights into the current situation. It is clear that brand and responsible drinking advertising, due to being funded by manufacturers, seek to normalize alcohol consumption in society. Yet, public media advocacy campaigns can help to disrupt the status quo and demonstrate the real implication of drinking alcohol.
Reference
Ringold, D. (2008). Responsibility and brand advertising in the alcoholic beverage market: The modeling of normative drinking behavior. Journal of Advertising, 37(1), 127–141. Web.