In the drink
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday February 26, 2010
Alcohol companies are creating music events to promote their brands to young music lovers, writes Sarah Thomas. If the Last Party on Earth were indeed that, at least it would be a good one.The one-off event, which is at the Exchange Hotel on Sunday, has a diverse line-up including punk rockers the Scare, pop rockers the Seabellies and hip-hop's the Tongue - and it'll all take place, Armageddon-style, in the dark. In a twist, punters are asked to bring their own torches to provide light.And none of it would be happening without Smirnoff, which gave $10,000 to promoter Julian Ramundi, the first winner of three grants for a new scheme to support original nights in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.Ramundi, who has been running club nights for the past couple of years, says the financial support of companies such as Smirnoff is vital to give promoters a "leg-up" to put on unique events that couldn't be funded otherwise."A party like this is helpful to shake [Sydney nightlife] up a little bit and get people excited about something different. It is tough because there aren't many live music venues and it's hard for a lot of promoters because the costs are so huge, there's a bottom line to recoup and they're just not willing to take the risk."Alcohol brands advertising at music events is nothing new; however, the alcohol brands are now taking this a step further by becoming event organisers, a trend that is having an increasing presence on the Sydney music scene.Bacardi will soon see its Bacardi Express tour take La Roux, Art vs Science and other artists along the east coast of Australia, where tickets are free but fans have to register at Bacardi online.Meanwhile, Tooheys Extra Dry has teamed up with Mark Ronson for its talent quest, the Lab, which will see a Ronson-produced track by the winners, Sydney's the Danimals, in the beer behemoth's next ad campaign in mid-March.Adam Zammit, the chief executive of Peer Group, the company behind brand-music link-ups such as the Bacardi Express and the Lab, says moving brands and music closer is a win-win for both. Brands gain kudos and access to an audience, while music acts gain from the marketing dollars and reach of these multinational brands."Bands don't see brands as selling out any more, they see it as distribution networks," he says. "This isn't about endorsement, this isn't about musicians turning into sports people and wearing T-shirts with KFC on them, this is about making the use of the assets of two different industries for the benefit of both."But at a time when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has indicated the government may consider increasing the drinking age to 21, and four people aged 25 or younger die each week due to alcohol-related injuries, the debate over the growing presence of alcohol brands in the music scene and the targeting of young music lovers is likely to intensify.In recommendations issued last year, the Preventative Health Taskforce said while alcohol advertising expenditure was $119 million, another two to three times that was likely to be spent on unmeasured advertising such as sponsorships and events. It said that "reducing the exposure of young people to alcohol promotions is an essential element in reducing alcohol-related harm in Australia".The chief executive of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia, David Templeman, says alcohol advertising has been shown to encourage people to start drinking at a younger age and in larger quantities. Marketing through special events also allows alcohol companies to circumvent normal regulatory restrictions in place on advertising, he says.Smirnoff says it adheres to strict guidelines in the marketing of its brand. "We see our role as being a supporter and enabler of inspiring, original nightlife," the marketing manager, Mary Perebzak, says.The Bacardi senior brand manager, Kristie Asciak, says music is a means of reaching its target market of 18- to 29-year-olds. "In terms of responsibility, we are absolutely like any other promoter out there in ensuring that we're doing everything we can to keep our audience safe and over 18."New band showcase Jager Uprising at the Annandale Hotel wouldn't happen without sponsorship, says the pub's co-owner, Matt Rule. "It's been fantastic for us because it's given us the opportunity to unearth literally hundreds of bands."We don't encourage anyone to come down and get smashed or drink excessive amounts of Jagermeister - there's no specials on the drink on the night or anything."People have to sit back and go, all right, there's a problem in a very small section of the community but let's not all deny ourselves the ability to have a good time and to act responsibly, when most of us actually do."
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald