The truth about alcohol brands and social media. And nothing but the truth!

Not a week goes by that we here at Phipps won’t shake our heads at yet another piece of contradictory so-called research. This week’s winning entry comes courtesy of the Daily Mail and claims that 'alcohol brands are exploiting Facebook, Twitter and YouTube by 'targeting young people with drink campaigns’. Now, with some of us being mothers ourselves we’re the first to back any initiative that stops underage drinking. But we’re at a slight loss as to what to believe when only last week research in The Drinks Business claimed that 'social media presence is “not important” to drinks consumers'. Time for some sense-making we think. Already five years ago the amazing futurologist Richard Watson talked about us being increasingly “subjected to multiple truths (one minute coffee is going to kill you, the next it’s a miracle cure) and fed a seemingly endless diet of half-truths from companies that want to sell us something”. Looking closer at the Daily Mail story it becomes clear that Alcohol Concern is behind the research, while the contradicting piece of research in The Drinks Business stems from a digital agency obviously touting for more business from drinks brands. In both cases it’s not hard to spot the hidden agenda but the questions remains – is social media to blame for underage drinking or simply not a factor? We believe that social media in its purest form is nothing else than a reflection of what’s going on in society anyway so it’s neither the cure nor the cause. If anything, pretty much any drinks brands in the UK is bound by guidelines set out by the Drinkaware campaign that aims to increase awareness and understanding of the role of alcohol in society, therefore offering a much needed balance to alcohol-related internet crazes like drowning bottles of wine and posting it on YouTube. And as for the confusing research in the media we’re with Benjamin Franklin on this one who remarked that “half a truth is often a great lie.” 

Posted by Toby Schuster

Fickle, cynical and vocal…welcome to Gen Y and the world of youth marketing

Today’s 16-24 year olds are a hard (but not impossible) to reach audience. Yes, they are fickle and extremely marketing-savvy but also a brand’s ideal customer thanks to their disposable income, brand loyalty and unprecedented ability to digitally spread your word. The decline of traditional media and advertising as marketing channels mean that knowing how to reach this audience has become the Holy Grail of PR. Especially when it comes to food and drink they are equally swayed by both various social media platforms such as Tumblr or Facebook and their parents (Faith Popcorn called their tendency to inherit their parents’ brand preferences ‘Brand-Me-Down’ way back in 2003). One thing is worth noting however – they rarely produce the content they so like to share. And this is where food and drink brands have a tremendous opportunity to connect. It’s precisely how the Forbes Magazine blog recently described the key to successful youth marketing but, maybe counterintuitive to this insight, is our belief that in today’s digital world 16-24 year olds also long for real experiences with real people. What does this mean for PR or brand managers? To find out follow the link to Phipps’s presentation on Gen Y…Where Are You?

Posted by Toby Schuster