Alcohol marketing can influence alcohol consumption and drinking behaviors, especially among youth. Live music events are high-risk environments for drug/alcohol use and related adverse outcomes. The Guinness Show is a free, one-month music festival held annually in Nigeria and sponsored by the alcohol industry. This week, The DRAM reviews a study by Emeka W. Dumbili that examined alcohol marketing at the Guinness Show and its perceived influence on drinking behaviors.
What were the research questions?
What alcohol marketing strategies are used at the Guinness Show? How do young adults perceive its influence on attendees’ drinking behaviors?
What did the researchers do?
The researchers recruited 79 Nigerian young adults (18-24 years old) who had used alcohol in the past 30 days. Through interviews and focus group discussions, participants shared their observations of alcohol marketing strategies at the Guinness Show and their perceptions of how these strategies influence attendees’ drinking behaviors. The researchers then conducted thematic analysis to determine common themes.
What did they find?
Participants observed numerous alcohol marketing strategies at the Guinness Show, such as lower prices, quantity deals, and free giveaways (see Figure). Participants felt that these promotions encouraged heavy alcohol use and drinking more than planned. Participants also reported seeing negative consequences from excessive drinking, like injuries and loss of personal belongings.
Figure. Participant observations of alcohol marketing strategies at the Guinness Show and perceived influence of marketing on attendees’ drinking behaviors, as shared in interviews and focus group discussions. Click image to enlarge.
Why do these findings matter?
Attendees of the Guinness Show are exposed to many alcohol marketing strategies that they perceive as contributing to increased drinking and drinking-related harms. Implementing psychosocial interventions, such as providing education about risky drinking with ticket purchases and offering alcohol-free spaces during the event, can help reduce alcohol-related harms experienced by those who attend. At a broader level, governments could more strictly regulate or even prohibit these kinds of events.
Every study has limitations. What are the limitations in this study?
The study only looked at one music festival in Nigeria, so the findings may not be generalizable to other live music events there or in other countries. Also, participants might have shown recall bias, as they were not interviewed during or immediately after attending the Guinness Show.
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The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has tips and resources for people struggling with problem drinking. For additional drinking self-help tools, please visit our Addiction Resources page.
— Caitlyn Matykiewicz, MPH