Browsing: alcohol

News
Hot cross food
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While we all tucked into hot cross buns over the long weekend, around the world people enjoyed the Easter tradition in a variety of food forms.

News
Data dump: mmmmm, beer
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When it comes to alcohol, the tastes of the nation are changing, with wine, cider and more expensive, more interesting, high alcohol beer all on the increase. And this has led to a decrease in the consumption of mainstream beer. As president of the Brewer’s Guild Ralph Bungard says: “New Zealanders still love beer, there’s no doubt, but they don’t want to drink those classic big brands by the crate-load anymore.” So, as we head into prime drinking time, here are some trends on New Zealand beer consumption taken from ANZ’s report on the craft beer industry, which have been brought to life by Dot Loves Data.

News
Data dump: the kids are alright
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If you believe the headlines, the world is going to hell in a handbasket. But if you believe some of the data (or Bill Gates), things have never been better, with fewer wars, more wealth and better health. Auckland University talked to New Zealand secondary school students about a range of things in 2001, 2007 and 2012 and here’s how their behaviour is changing.

News
You can lead a horse to water …
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To some, the term corporate social responsibility is an oxymoron; more keeping up appearances than a legitimate attempt to make the world a better place. Nigel Latta looked into what the booze companies are doing in terms of promoting their products and, to a lesser degree, responsible drinking, in his recent series. And South Park has shown the paradox of the alcohol-funded ‘drink responsibly’ message perfectly (NSFW)

News
Wine snobs don’t know what they’re talking about
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Given that most of us are ill-equipped to taste the intricacies that go into a sip of wine, US-based Union Wine Company has decided to mock the wine snobs that turn their noses up at anything that doesn’t come out of the finest bottle. Over the course of four spots, a variety of characters share their largely vacuous insights, littered with sommelier vernacular, on the drink they are holding. Although some of the spots do tend to be a bit long-winded, they serve as a great reminder as to why we should always be suspicious in the company of people who use the words ‘notes’ or ‘tones’ to describe anything other than music.

News
Boundary Road Brewery’s can vs bottle debate
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There’s a perception that canned-beer is of lower quality than the bottled variant and makes the drinker look like a lout – an image that Boundary Road Brewery (BRB) and its agency Barnes, Catmur and Friends are attempting to push aside with their ‘Blind Taste Test’ campaign.

News
Reddit has its say on DraftFCB’s Say Yeah, Nah campaign
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Hitting the front page of Reddit is usually like hitting marketing gold, bringing with it the sweet sweet traffic generated by the never-sleeping internet horde. DraftFCB has had a taste of that delicious Reddit link love for its ‘Say Yeah, Nah’ alcohol responsibility TVC for the Health Promotion Agency – although many denizens of the online community are left confused if what they’ve watched is actually a beer commercial in disguise.

Opinion
StopPress’ alternative RWC infographics: alcohol consumption
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As all regular pub-goers know, alcohol often acts as a performance enhancing drug when it comes to playing darts, pool and, on rare occasions, ‘the field’. And while it’s generally accepted that it’s the opposite of a performance enhancer for practically everything else, and particularly rugby, infographics.co …

News
On the grog: ASA panel to review code of alcohol advertising
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The recent Law Commission report Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm, made 153 recommendations to the National government. Some of those suggestions have formed the basis of the Alcohol Reform bill. And, now that the government’s position on booze has been clarified somewhat, the Advertising Standards Authority has decided the time is right to establish an independent panel to review the Code for Advertising Liquor. 

News
Anti-marketing campaigners up the alcohol advertising ante
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While it’s all well and good to marvel at the tactics employed for the latest product launch or to have a bit of laff at the latest big budget summer beer ad—of which there have been many recently—there is, of course, a much less glamorous, more harmful side to alcohol in New Zealand that, understandably, is often overlooked by those in the marcomms industry whose job it is to sell more of it. There are already a host of marketing restrictions imposed on the largely self-regulated alcohol industry and while the New Zealand Drug Foundation believes the government is heading in the right direction with the alcohol reform bill, it contests that a number of the most important recommendations from the Law Commission report (there were 153 in total) have been ignored—particularly pricing, as this blunt but effective anti-alcohol marketing video called the ‘Budget Guide to Drinking Yourself to Death’ shows.