EFRD launches web campaign to promote responsible alcoholic drinks marketing

The European Forum for Responsible Drinking (EFRD) has launched a web-campaign to promote responsible marketing practices for alcoholic beverages. The objective is to explain in plain language how EU-wide codes of advertising should be applied.

The organisation says following the recent revision of the marketing rules in late 2011 to adjust to the growing prevalence of digital media, EFRD members – leading spirits companies – launched a broad campaign aimed at marketers and advertising executives to explain the industry’s vision of responsible marketing on and offline.

Creative departments and advertising agencies working with spirits producers will be able to gain practical knowledge of how the industry’s voluntary rules should be applied from www.marketresponsibly.eu.

This includes advice on:

• The use of registration data to prevent underage social network users (e.g. Facebook) from accessing alcohol marketing content

• Using Age Affirmation Pages (AAP) whenever possible to only reach those above 18 years old;

• Monitoring and moderating user-generated content;

• Promoting responsible drinking messages to consumers;

• Appropriate content to only appeal to those above 18 years old by avoiding depiction of elements of “teen culture” or associating alcohol with a “rite of passage”.

“Responsible marketing practices, agreed and enforced by EFRD members, must be understood and applied by everyone associated with the marketing of their brands”, says Carole Brigaudeau, EFRD manager.

“We are currently spreading this message throughout training road shows held with producers and advertising agencies across Europe as a commitment to the European Alcohol & Health Forum to run until 2013. The online training tool comes to support this “live” training and provides readily accessible information to agencies and marketers 24/7,” she said

This online training tool contains presentations and tutorials explaining:

• Basic principles of responsible alcohol marketing;

• Responsible media planning in all marketing communications including advertising, sponsorship, paid product placement as well as promotional events;

• Instructions for new media techniques including: social networks, branded websites, viral marketing, mobile devices, Bluetooth, IM, podcasts, RSS, virtual worlds, mobile app, photo and video sharing, and blogs;

• Content rules to avoid targeting under 18s

EFRD is an alliance of Europe’s leading spirits companies committed to promoting responsible drinking in the EU and encouraging industry to adopt responsible self-regulatory standards for commercial communications. Member companies include:

· Bacardi-Martini

· Beam Global Spirits & Wine

· Brown-Forman

· Diageo

· Moët-Hennessy

· Pernod Ricard

The EFRD is located in the offices of the European Spirits Organisation – CEPS, the representative body for the spirits industry at European level. EFRD supports CEPS in delivering on the EU social agenda.

www.efrd.org