Unethical Alcohol Companies free essay sample

The most severe and significant unethical act by Carlsberg is its marketing strategy. Over here, we will analyse and interpret a string of unethical marketing activities by Carlsberg. By definition, alcohol advertising is one-sided and presents alcohol consumption as a safe and problem-free practice, de-emphasizing the potential health risks and negative consequences. †¢ Targeting the young drinkers In 2006, Carlsberg spent about US$2 million to draw in younger generations of drinkers. Many alcohol advertisements portray a wild and energetic image, depicting scenes of clubbing, dancing, lively music, wild party and so on. This is easily recognisable by teenagers and young adults. In addition to that, young models are used to create a perception that there’s nothing wrong if a young adult drinks. One example we can quote is the current Carlsberg advertisement aired in cinemas where a group of young friends stranded in an island chose a Carlsberg vending machine over other necessities when they are offered help. We will write a custom essay sample on Unethical Alcohol Companies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It then shows another scene of the group of young friends having beer with another group of young and attractive ladies in skimpy clothes. This creates a delusional image of sexual appeal and charm associated with consuming alcohol. †¢ Sponsoring activities Carlsberg used a relatively smart way to circumvent the direct advertising ban, through philanthropic activities. The most common Carlsberg’s sponsorship we can see is sports events. Carlsberg was one of the major sponsors in Euro2008 and also the 2004 European Football Championship. They were also a sponsor of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.In terms of football, the most significant appearance of Carlsberg is through LIVERPOOL F. C jersey having sponsoring the club since 1992 until now. Relating to the earlier issue of targeting the young drinkers, this also applies because people who are interested in football tend to be young male adult. Thus by making its appearance in a popular football club jersey, the name Carlsberg is known widely among teenagers. We claimed that sponsoring sports events is unethical because of 2 reasons. One is that it is making its appearance to the public, and a lot of sports enthusiasts or fans consist of teenagers.Second, it creates an image similar to those of isotonic drinks when their beers are promoted to give them back what the day took from them. On top of that, they also offer scholarships to poor students. The Carlsberg Hua Zhong Education Fund is available for application for college students and this can be said as college campus marketing strategy because it exposes the students to alcohols. †¢ Media exposure to the public The ban on direct advertising apparently is not that effective with advertising still allowed in cinemas, print medias, videos, and broadcasts.Often we can see Carlsberg’s advertisement in Malaysia’s most popular English language newspaper, The Star, covering a whole page featuring chilled beer attractive slogans. Their tagline â€Å"Probably the best beer in the world† gives an image of a drink that is health-problem free, equating it with soft drinks. It is unethical for Carlsberg to advertise in newspaper because people from all layers of society read newspaper and this includes curious teenagers. It is easy to attract them to try out beer when those advertisement of golden, rich, and smooth beer pouring runs through their eyes.