Sport And Alcohol Experiences: Implications for Policy

The connection between alcohol and sport is a well-recognised contributor to alcohol-related harm. Troublingly, brands are transcending traditional approaches to sponsorship (e.g., stadium signage) through emerging strategies to engage consumers and further intertwine alcohol and sport. This research aimed to determine the nature of alcohol brand experiences in association with sport sponsorship and explore consumer attitudes toward these experiences. The initial stage was a content analysis of brand experiences created by alcohol sponsors, which was followed by in depth interviews with 36 sport consumers to explore attitudes toward these experiences. The content analysis led to the development of a typology consisting of two dimensions, encapsulating (1) how embedded the experience is within the sport, and (2) whether the experience is brand-led or co-created. The interview findings demonstrated that alcohol brand experiences are viewed more favourably than traditional advertising approaches, particularly when perceived as novel and as enhancing the social aspects of the sport experience. The findings highlight that disassociating alcohol from sport is now more challenging as regulations around traditional approaches are subverted by these experiences. This research, therefore, has implications for future research and policy related to banning or limiting alcohol brand experiences in the context of sport sponsorship.