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The growing costs to the community of excessive alcohol consumption have resulted in pressure for governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to develop strategies to address this problem, but they do so in a highly constrained resource environment. To provide evidence of health education approaches that may be effective across multiple drinker segments, and hence be relevant to a large number of drinkers, this study investigated the alcohol-related issues that are most salient to adult drinkers at different life stages.

The growing costs to the community of excessive alcohol consumption have resulted in pressure for governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to develop strategies to address this problem, but they do so in a highly constrained resource environment. To provide evidence of health education approaches that may be effective across multiple drinker segments, and hence be relevant to a large number of drinkers, this study investigated the alcohol-related issues that are most salient to adult drinkers at different life stages.

Growing segment size and increasing affluence have resulted in a substantial increase in the purchasing power of the senior market. Seniors spend a higher proportion of their total expenditure on services relative to younger consumers, making them an important target market for many service providers. However, seniors' particular concern with the social aspects of service delivery has been recognized as an important managerial issue. To provide further insight into this issue, in-depth interviews and projective techniques were conducted with 60 Scottish seniors of diverse demographic profiles. The findings support previous research indicating that seniors may evaluate service encounters primarily according to the social benefits resulting from them. In the present study, the social benefits sought appeared to be largely determined by seniors' social identities, which were influenced by past experiences as customers and employees. A model of how seniors evaluate their service encounter interactions is suggested, and managerial implications and directions for further research are provided. In particular, the model emphasizes the need for service providers to appreciate the characteristics of frontline service staff that are conducive to satisfactory service encounters for seniors.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the way Hong Kong drinkers have internalised the meanings associated with alcoholic beverages and how these meanings influence the motivation to drink. Also of interest was how symbolic meanings and motivations are similar or different to those in Western nations and the implications for the marketing of alcohol products.Design/methodology/approachAn ethnographic approach comprising participant observations and interviews is used to generate data relating to alcohol consumption. Observations are conducted at 11 venues including pubs, clubs, restaurants, and a convention centre. More than 40 h of observations yield data pertaining to public drinking while the interview data also provides insight into the nature of private drinking in Hong Kong.FindingsAlcohol consumption in Hong Kong may be primarily a function of the need to convey desired images to specific and generalised others. The finding that product symbolism dominates taste considerations supports previous research relating to beer consumption but varies somewhat from identified motivations for wine consumption in developed markets.Practical implicationsAlcohol marketers may benefit from adapting their products to suit the specific taste preferences of Chinese consumers, although care would need to be taken to ensure the symbolic value of the beverage is not diminished in the process. A focus on the situational context and moderate consumption in promotional messages may increase perceived salience.Originality/valueLittle previous research on alcohol consumption motivations has been conducted in Hong Kong. The findings provide insight into likely characteristics of the future alcohol market in mainland China.

This study investigated wine drinkers' perspectives on how product quality is conceptualized. The research was carried out because the dominant paradigm for quality within the marketing literature is perceived quality, and as such it is important to understand how consumers construct frameworks to understand quality and specifically whether they share this perception of the particular importance of the notion of perceived quality. Qualitative processes were used to obtain data from 60 informants. The findings indicate that consumers can adopt subjective or objective frameworks, with some also leaning towards relative and absolute quality positions. These conflicting frameworks are resolved by using an interactionist perspective, which allows quality to mediate the varying quality correlates noted in the marketing literature.

PurposeTo explore mothers' attitudes to fast food companies' use of toy premiums as a marketing technique.Design/methodology/approachTwo focus groups and 12 individual interviews were conducted with 21 mothers of young children.FindingsThe mothers considered toy premiums to be a highly effective form of marketing targeted at their children. Such purchase incentives stimulate a constant barrage of requests that parents must manage.Research limitations/implicationsIf parents are to successfully perform their role of food providers to address escalating rates of childhood obesity, they need assistance to counter‐balance the highly effective forms of marketing being employed by fast food companies.Practical implicationsThe findings have relevance for public policy makers in their efforts to assess the impacts of various promotional activities targeted at children. They are also useful for food marketers as they suggest how product offerings may be differentiated to better meet parents' preferences.Originality/valueVery little research has examined parents' attitudes to specific marketing techniques aimed at children. Understanding the impacts of these techniques on parents' feeding practices is critical in obtaining an appreciation for how parents can better manage their children's diets to address rapidly escalating rates of childhood obesity.

This study sought to explore barriers to achieving positive mental health in adolescence from the perspectives of adolescents and their carers. In-depth interviews with male and female adolescents aged 15-17 years and school psychologists practicing in government and private schools provided insight into the mental health problems experienced by adolescents and the most effective ways to resolve these problems. The study found that current levels of community knowledge about mental health problems, the need to maintain a positive self-image, and the use of non-ideal coping skills may be the primary reasons for a reluctance among adolescents to seek help when afflicted with a mental health problem. The findings from this study provide insight for public policy makers and health promotion organisations by suggesting specific social marketing recommendations. In addition, practical information and recommendations are directed towards educators, parents, and adolescents.

This article introduces the new Australian Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB) Code and assesses television advertising practices against its advertising content provisions. The Code is administered by independent experts to provide an alternative to the industry-led Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code Scheme that has attracted substantial criticism. The new Code aims to balance the alcohol industry's right to promote a legal product against critical protections for young people and public health. To assess whether the new Code will require substantial changes to alcohol advertising practices, a content analysis was conducted of alcohol advertisements aired prior to its introduction on all four free-to-air commercial television channels over two months. A majority of the analysed advertisements (48 of 64) contained at least one element that could be construed as a breach of the AARB Code. The largest numbers of potential breaches were for the provisions relating to the association of alcohol with success and using appeals that are likely to be attractive to young people. The results demonstrate that the Australian alcohol industry will need to reassess current advertising practices to achieve compliance with the new Code. [Copyright John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.]

This article introduces the new Australian Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB) Code and assesses television advertising practices against its advertising content provisions. The Code is administered by independent experts to provide an alternative to the industry‐led Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code Scheme that has attracted substantial criticism. The new Code aims to balance the alcohol industry's right to promote a legal product against critical protections for young people and public health. To assess whether the new Code will require substantial changes to alcohol advertising practices, a content analysis was conducted of alcohol advertisements aired prior to its introduction on all four free‐to‐air commercial television channels over two months. A majority of the analysed advertisements (48 of 64) contained at least one element that could be construed as a breach of the AARB Code. The largest numbers of potential breaches were for the provisions relating to the association of alcohol with success and using appeals that are likely to be attractive to young people. The results demonstrate that the Australian alcohol industry will need to reassess current advertising practices to achieve compliance with the new Code. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The celebrations that occurred on New Year's Eve 1999 provided an opportunity to collect data to generate insight into the ways in which consumers behave during symbolic occasions, particularly in relation to the consumption rituals that are planned and enacted. The sample for this study comprised 126 consumers, most of whom were Australian. Respondents provided accounts of their plans for New Year's Eve, including their thoughts and feelings relating to these plans. The processes of inclusion and exclusion were found to take on heightened importance for the occasion, manifesting in the greater physical demarcation experienced between in-groups and out-groups. This trend, however, was counteracted by the lowering of cognitive boundaries between groups as evidenced by the tendency for many respondents to cast their thoughts to the under-privileged. The findings have implications for the ways in which marketers promote their products at special times, and provide insights relevant to not-for-profit organisations.