Alcohol is one of most important sectors in the advertising
industry and has been for decades. Alcohol brands and their
agencies space have also produced some of the most iconic British
advertising of all times. None more so than Guinness.
However, with constant changes in regulations and the differing
trends that affect the public, such as linking alcohol to physical
strength and drinking at work, alcohol brands need to be flexible
to ensure they are ahead of the market trends while staying
compliant with the Advertising Standards Authority. Alcohol ads
also often attract attention from various campaigning
organisations, such as Youth Alcohol Concern, who challenge any
perceived weakness in compliance, leading to frequent ASA
investigations. At the same time, there have also been recent
changes to liberalise the rules for advertising low alcohol brands,
as well as new concerns about the use of influencers and
targeting.
