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There is a growing body of research into the utilisation of social networking sites (SNS) by alcohol marketers, but less research into how young people utilise SNS to create their own meanings of, and interactions with, alcohol. The purpose of this study was to explore young adults’ perceptions of the nexus between alcohol and SNS.

In total, 60 adults aged 18-21 years took part in an intensive data collection process over six months. All references to social media in the interviews, focus groups and written introspections were compiled and analysed.

Results showed social media use stimulates alcohol consumption and alcohol consumption stimulates social media use. Four main themes emerged: social engagement, identity, drinking culture and distancing. Participants reported being constantly exposed to, and often influenced by, images of their peers enjoying themselves while consuming alcohol, with little representation of negative outcomes.

The relationship between SNS, social norms and drinking behaviours is complex; there is a need for further research into the dynamics of this relationship to inform social marketing interventions.

While there is a body of research into commercial references to alcohol on SNS, there is less research into the ways young people utilise SNS to create their own meanings of, and interactions with, alcohol. The consumer research that has been conducted to date has focused on quantifying references to alcohol and drinking behaviours, observing profiles or surveying users. This study addresses a key gap in the literature that is needed to inform social marketing interventions to reduce excessive alcohol consumption: when, why and how do young people post about alcohol.

This study applied the grounded theory method of data collection and analysis to the social phenomenon of beer consumption in Australia. The aim was to explore a popular Australian consumption activity to provide an insight into the consumption process in general, and the consumption of beer in particular. The output is a substantive theory of beer consumption that describes the specific cognitive and emotional processes involved in the selection and consumption of particular brands of beer amongst members of the Australian culture. Image management was found to be the core category pertaining to Australian beer consumption, with the associated properties being monitoring, analysing, and communicating. The implications of the category and properties for current consumer behaviour theories are outlined.

While the wine market is significant in Australia, very little has been done in the way of consumer research to investigate Australians' attitudes towards the product. This study explored the physical and social contexts that are considered appropriate for wine consumption in Australia. Interviews were conducted with 82 adults, adolescents, and children across three Australian states. The findings indicate that the apparent preference of females for wine over other forms of alcohol is contrived by the social environment in which Australians live and consume, as is the tendency for many men to avoid wine consumption in particular informal contexts. Wine marketers need to be aware of the extent to which different segments of the population adhere to the social norms surrounding wine consumption in order to select appropriate ways to attempt to integrate wine more fully into a wider range of consumption contexts.

To explore mothers’ attitudes to fast food companies’ use of toy premiums as a marketing technique.

Two focus groups and 12 individual interviews were conducted with 21 mothers of young children.

The 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.

If 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.

The 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.

Very 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.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the benefits of tasting as a projective technique (PT) in explicating consumers' thoughts and feelings towards food and beverage products.

In total, ten focus groups were conducted with 35 consumers, 14 wine producers, and 13 mediators. The mediator category included those involved in marketing, wholesaling, retailing, and judging wine. Participants in each focus group were given the same four wines to taste. Initially they were invited to discuss their views on wine quality. The participants were then presented with the wines and asked to discuss their responses to them, particularly their perceptions of the quality of the wines.

The primary findings related to: the changes in apparent certainty levels amongst professionals and high‐involvement informants; exposure of real and contradictory preferences; role of cognitive, affective, and sensory responses to wine; and interpretation of the language of tasting.

Tasting as a PT has the potential to generate additional and insightful data that can increase our appreciation of the complexities involved in consumption experiences. In particular, it can reveal the uncertainty that can affect consumers' product evaluations and explicate the multiple evaluation pathways that can be used by consumers of food and beverage products.

The paper is of value in showing that the ability of PTs to yield both stated and actual preferences provides insight into the salient external factors that impact on consumption decisions and gives an indication of where marketers could most effectively focus their product development and promotional attention.

Food and alcohol are symbolically and physically linked in many cultures. This article seeks to explore Australians' perceptions of the relationships between food and two of the more popular forms of alcohol – wine and beer.

The findings from two parallel alcohol studies are reported. One study examined the role of wine consumption in Australian culture (n=105), while the other study performed the same function in terms of beer consumption (n=115). Interviews and focus groups were used in both studies to collect data from consumers and industry representatives to identify expectations of appropriate food and alcohol pairing.

Wine was found to be strongly associated with food along three dimensions: complementarity, social meaning, and lubrication. This association occurs in the context that it is generally deemed inappropriate to consume wine without food. By comparison, a much weaker association appears to exist between food and beer. Interviewees reported regularly consuming beer in both eating and non‐eating contexts, with the nature of the occasion influencing beer consumption rather than any food that may or may not be present.

Consumers' expectations of the appropriate pairing of food with beer and wine are discussed in terms of their implications for those wishing to align particular food and alcohol products in the marketplace. A theoretical contribution is provided through a discussion of the ways in which different alcoholic beverages are assigned different symbolic meanings to allow them to facilitate divergent food consumption experiences.

The 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.

An 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.

Alcohol 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.

Alcohol 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.

Little 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.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ability of a social marketing intervention to provide families with specific nutrition information, stimulate family discussions on the topic of nutrition, and encourage parents to make changes in their child‐feeding practices.

A postcard intervention was administered to families with children aged five to 12 years at three primary schools in Western Australia. Approximately two months later, an evaluation questionnaire was administered to the three intervention schools and a control school.

In total, 229 usable questionnaires were returned, representing a 22 percent response rate. In the intervention schools, almost half of the respondents reported discussing the contents of the postcards with their children and a third reported giving the cards to their children to read. The intervention was successful in encouraging a majority (60 percent) of respondents to make at least one favourable change to their child‐feeding practices, in line with the recommendations provided.

The study demonstrated that a simple and cost‐effective social marketing intervention can encourage family discussions on the topic of nutrition and favourably influence parents' child‐feeding practices.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of parents and other adults in preventing and facilitating teen binge drinking.

Teens' discussions on internet websites were accessed to examine their opinions of their alcohol‐related interactions with adults.

The results show that in the context of a western society such as Australia, the role of adults in endorsing a culture of excessive alcohol consumption may be considerable.

Social marketing campaigns are needed to sensitise adults to this situation and outline strategies that can be used by adults to reduce negative impacts and enhance their potential to reduce alcohol consumption among young people.

Previous research into teenagers' alcohol consumption behaviours has focused on self‐reports obtained via surveys or focus groups. Such data collection processes are likely to be subject to considerable social desirability bias. The present study demonstrates that the internet can constitute a valuable alternative source of data relating to young people's engagement in unhealthy behaviours and the factors impacting their decisions to enact these behaviours.