Article: The luxury metaphor of alcoholic beverages marketing: a necessary focus and understanding to help public health

Jacques François DIOUF

École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique - CREM (UMR CNRS 6211) et EA MOS (Management des Organisations de Santé)

Abstract

Objective: To identify the emergence of luxury as a marketing trend within the alcohol industry and discuss its implications for public health.
Methods: Review of the literature regarding luxury marketing and the impact of alcohol marketing; monitoring of relevant marketing activities within the alcohol industry and systematic review of market strategy related documents.
Results: The industry utilizes luxury as a vehicle and theme to construct promotional strategies in the French market. The specific codes of luxury branding techniques are used by marketers to design alcohol marketing strategies in terms of product design, packaging, advertising and public relations activities.
Conclusion: Luxury appears as an Current marketing trend, in order to contextualize the alcohol offer. The literature has investigated and found evidence of relation between exposure to alcohol marketing and consumption behaviors. However this paper questions the role and effects of alcohol marketing contents on perceptions and intentions to behave, so far poorly explored. From a managerial standpoint this paper stresses implications for public health such as: the power of alcohol marketing content, the regulation of alcohol promotion and the necessity to design health based interventions adapted to new marketing trends.