The impact of an advertising ban on the promotion of alcohol in South Africa
Date
2012-10-02
Authors
Ferreira, Stefan
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Abstract
This study seeks to understand the impact of an advertising ban on the
promotion and sales of alcohol in South Africa. This was determined through a
literature review that covers the marketing, promotion and sales of alcohol and
tobacco both prior and post an advertising ban, internationally as well as in
South Africa.
The research was conducted with a targeted group of respondents involved in
the South African alcohol and advertising industries as well as independent
experts in the areas of advertising and marketing. Individuals from the South
African tobacco industry were approached but none were willing to participate in
the research.
The results of the study indicated that there will need to be a fundamental shift
from above the line to below the line promotion of alcohol in South Africa, post
an advertising ban. With this in mind there seems to be a move from above the
line to below the line marketing strategies, despite the threat of an above the
line advertising ban. In terms of alcohol sales post an advertising ban, the study
reveals that there will not be a significantly negative impact on the sales of
alcohol in South Africa. This corroborates the weak theories of advertising,
which state that advertising is used to create brand differentiation and
awareness and is not simply utilised to increase sales.
Based on the findings, a set of recommendations on how to promote alcohol
post an above the line advertising ban were compiled. These recommendations
included: the increased use of point of sales promotions, direct marketing as
well as the use of a more integrated marketing approach.
In addition to this, further areas of research were identified, which included:
research into the mindset of consumers of alcohol in South Africa as well as
further research into the impact of an alcohol advertising ban on the other three
components of the marketing mix.
Description
MBA thesis - WBS
Keywords
Advertising bans, Alcohol, Marketing