A new study by the University of Stirling has revealed the cunning and real impact of alcohol marketing at sporting events on young people in Scotland.
This has arisen with the occurrence of the men’s Six Nation’s Championship and FIFA World Cup 2026, both major international sporting competitions which are sponsored by multinational alcohol selling companies.
Young people aged 11 to 17 find it impossible to distinguish between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages when they are encouraged through sports sponsorship, the study shows.
Researchers have shown concern regarding sports sponsorship methods like alibi marketing (using brand-associated slogans, colours, or fonts in place of explicit brand names) and promoting alcohol-free and low-alcohol variants of core brands to increase exposure to alcohol brands (which is known by the industry as NoLo marketing).
A young person who took part in the study described the tactics as “sneaky”, while another participant said it “just feels wrong”.
It has been said by the creators of the study that the current system of self-regulation for alcohol advertisement in the UK is unsuitable for limiting brand exposure to young people, and have called for stricter rules to be put into place regarding marketing strategies to better defend young people and to support public health objectives.
According to a recent World Health Organization report, the intake of alcohol among underaged people has been and still remains as a global health concern as they are regularly exposed to alcohol marketing across multiple channels, including television, digital platforms, social media, sponsorships, and product placements.
Dr Richard Purves, from The Institute for Social Marketing and Health (ISMH) at the University of Stirling, who led the study, said: “Alcohol branding of major sporting events isn’t just background noise – it’s shaping young people’s attitudes and expectations from an early age in a way that parents and policymakers don’t always see.
“Our findings show that young people are growing up surrounded by alcohol branding, particularly through sport, and this repeated exposure normalises alcohol use long before the legal drinking age.
“Even in countries where advertising restrictions exist, indirect tactics like alibi branding and core-branded alcohol-free and low-alcohol sponsorships allow alcohol brands to remain highly visible.
“Without stronger regulation, these strategies risk undermining efforts to protect young people from alcohol-related harm.”
Using ten online focus groups of 44 participants, stratified by age and gender, the research found that young people in Scotland demonstrated high levels of recognition for familiar alcohol brand imagery even when explicit brand names were absent.
The partakers of the research were concerned that there should be clearer distinction between alcohol-free and alcoholic products to avoid misleading young audiences.
Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) Chair Dr Alastair MacGilchrist said: “This research lays bare that the marketing of alibi and alcohol-free and low-alcohol brands is indistinguishable from the marketing of full-strength products in the eyes of young people.
“The alcohol industry mimics the past tactics of the tobacco industry and constantly finds new and innovative ways to market their products which attract future consumers.
“Evidence shows that when young people are exposed to alcohol marketing, they are more likely to start drinking at a younger age and more likely to develop a problematic relationship with alcohol.
“It’s clear that self-regulation by the alcohol industry does not protect children and young people from marketing, despite their claims to the contrary, so I would urge the next Scottish Government to prioritise introducing watertight regulation to end all types of alcohol sponsorship of sports.”
The study Young people’s views of NoLo and alibi alcohol sponsorship was published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
It was funded by Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and SPECTRUM, a UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) Consortium funded by the UKRI Research Councils, the Department of Health and Social Care (England) and the UK devolved administrations, and leading health research charities.
Image Credit: University of Stirling.
