Association Between Alcohol Sports Sponsorship and Consumption: A Systematic Review

Abstract

AimConcerns have been raised about the impact of alcohol sports sponsorship on harmful consumption, with some countries banning this practice or considering a ban. We review evidence on the relationship between exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship and alcohol consumption.MethodsSearch of electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and International Alcohol Information Database) supplemented by hand searches of references and conference proceedings to locate studies providing data on the impact of exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship and outcomes relating to alcohol consumption.ResultsSeven studies met inclusion criteria, presenting data on 12,760 participants from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Poland. All studies report positive associations between exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship and self-reported alcohol consumption, but the statistical significance of results varies. Two studies found indirect exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship was associated with increased levels of drinking amongst schoolchildren, and five studies found a positive association between direct alcohol sports sponsorship and hazardous drinking amongst adult sportspeople.ConclusionThese findings corroborate the results of previous systematic reviews that reported a positive association between exposure to alcohol marketing and alcohol consumption. The relationship between alcohol sports sponsorship and increased drinking amongst schoolchildren will concern policymakers. Further research into the effectiveness of restrictions on alcohol sports sponsorship in reducing harmful drinking is required.

Does Industry-Driven Alcohol Marketing Influence Adolescent Drinking Behaviour? A Systematic Review

“…bars). We defined the ‘alcohol industry’ as any company that produces, markets or distributes alcoholic beverages (Brown, 2016). Thus, we excluded studies that focused upon aspects of alcohol availability (such as server behaviour, parental supply of alcohol) or policy-level intervention (such as minimum age laws, restrictions on hours, days and volumes of alcohol sales in a given community) not driven by industry.…”

“…Four further systematic reviews have considered marketing influences, including placement and availability (Meier et al ., 2008; Bryden et al ., 2012), price (Meier et al ., 2008), advertising (Meier et al ., 2008; Bryden et al ., 2012; Stautz et al ., 2016) and sports sponsorship (Brown, 2016) on alcohol consumption. Meanwhile, a recent systematic review has investigated the content of, and exposure to, alcohol marketing in relation to self-regulated guidelines (Noel et al ., 2016).…”

The effectiveness of advertising alcohol products in sports sponsorship

“…However, interest in this area has grown since 2009 (Belt et al, ; O'Brien et al, ; Wilcox et al, ), coinciding with an increase in sponsorship as a marketing tool. Studies have shown a direct relationship between exposure to sponsorship, brand awareness, and attitudes toward consumption (Brown, ; Davies, ), suggesting that greater exposure involves a greater intention to consume. Others have shown that the effects are nonsignificant (Davies, ).…”

“…In other countries (e.g., New Zealand), industry regulation and self‐regulation support the elimination of alcohol advertising at recreational activities and sporting events, restricting content, or imposing full bans (Chambers et al, ). The recent academic literature (Brown, ; Chambers et al, ) and international regulations pay special attention to sports sponsorship. Given the socioeconomic connotations of consuming alcohol, the literature recommends expanding knowledge, methodologies, and valid, reliable measures to assess, analyze, and compare the effectiveness of sponsorship by alcohol brands (Grohs, ).…”

Impact of exposure to alcohol marketing and subsequent drinking patterns among youth and young adults

“…Youth and young adults are further exposed to alcohol marketing through sponsorship of sports teams and events (Macniven 2015). Authors of a systematic review found positive associations between exposure to alcohol sports sponsorship and increased levels of consumption, including two studies reporting significant associations between exposure to sports sponsorship and increased levels of consumption among children (Brown 2016). Alcohol sponsorship of music festivals is another potential medium of exposure for young people and has the potential to increase level of brand recall, brand awareness and attitude towards the brand (Rowley 2008).…”