Today while rushing to get some last-minute shopping done, a poster caught my eyes. It was not just about the free transport provided on New Year's Eve, but that the sponsorship for the whole scheme by the British alcohol company 'Diageo'. Diageo is the largest producer of spirits in the UK with annual revenues of over £14.5 billion. I really liked the fact that TfL along with Diageo was asking people to drink responsibly. As advertising of alcohol and tobacco is highly regulated, they rely heavily on sponsorship advertising to promote their brand.
Campaigns to "drink responsibly" in most parts of the world are actually carried out or funded by the alcohol companies. The "Drink Aware" campaign in the UK and 'The Century Council' in the US are funded by the alcohol companies to promote responsible drinking. But when it comes to promotion for the brand, most of the alcohol and tobacco companies rely on sponsorships. Some popular alcohol brands sponsoring are 'Heineken' for the Heineken Cup for Rugby and 'Anheuser-Busch' and 'Budweiser' for NASCAR. Tobacco companies have been severely hit after many countries banned the endorsement of tobacco brands in different events, most prominently Formula 1.
We will not see any advertising of the Marlboro Man anymore, but it's better to be safe than sorry. It’s the holiday season, so let us all have fun and be responsible as well. Merry Christmas!
