When recently the government's Preventative Health Taskforce came out recommending that alcohol advertising and sponsorship of sport be banned, or at least ruthlessly curtailed, I remember instinctively jumping into my ‘strategic-marketer-action-hero' suit (visualise a Power Ranger shopping at Coles) and began formulating plans as to how the alcohol companies (we’ll refer to them as ‘Big Booze') could counter this potentially disastrous legislative grenade.
I fumed over the governments’ messing with our cultural right to watch, celebrate and participate in (from the lounge chair) our favorite codes with players emblazoned with beer brands within an inch of their whites! What would cricket be without Punter Ponting’s shield of honor - the VB logo - so close to his heart? "It's just not cricket", they shouted!
While the reports' overarching agenda is to de-normalise alcohol intoxication and reduce the incidence of alcohol-related-harm, one of its recommended key objectives in achieving this outcome is the staged phasing out alcohol promotion, and in particular promotion associated with sports events and sports stars.
In response, the Australia Federation of Advertisers counter punched with a media release asserting that the banning of alcohol sponsorship, among other things, was "far too important to be the subject of emotive decision-making" (like the kind I personally described above). I agreed, it was clear we were under cultural attack from a band of tea totaling lefties. Load your tinnies - we’re going to war.
My mind was racing .... How would VB and its brand mates be affected by the proposed ban? What strategic alternatives could they employ to counter this? How could they redress the inevitable lost sales? What could they do to fill the void left in the wake of their outrageously successful $359 billion annum spend on Aussie sport sponsorship and endorsements?
I knew i was reacting instinctively and on autopilot. After all, this is the kind of strategic thinking we do for our (real world) clients every day; it's constantly about how to realign marketing strategy to combat or exploit the opportunities and threats brought on by changes in the external environment.
It was only after a cup of tea and a lie down did I realise that I may have jumped too hurriedly to protect our national symbol - the VB logo. I'd given little (read as ‘no’) consideration to why the Preventative Health Taskforce (hint: the clue's in the name) needed to 'Reshape the Drinking Culture In Australia' or to reduce the harm caused by alcohol, surely it wasn't all that serious. So I decided to read the report. The penny started to drop...
- Over half the serious alcohol related road injuries occur among 15-24 year olds.
- Kids (up to age 25) are highly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and the report concludes that reducing exposure of alcohol promotion to young people is an essential element in reducing alcohol related harm.
- One in five Australian +14 drink to high risk levels at least once a month; adding up the 42 million occasions of binge drinking in Australia each year.
- The cost to the Australian community of alcohol-related-harm in 2004/05 was estimated at a staggering $15 billion. This includes lost work productivity ($3.5 billion), Road accidents ($2 billion), crime ($1.6 billion) and lost productivity in the home ($1.5 billion).
Even the World Health Organization (WHO) chimed in on the act, recommending that governments be supported “To effectively regulate the marketing of alcoholic beverages, including effective regulation or banning of advertising and sponsorship of cultural and sports events, in particular those that have an impact on younger people."
It was at this point that I realised I didn't give a hoot about the loss of revenue and the strategic issues that were going to confront Big Booze, they could, and would look after themselves - I need to look after me and mine.
It suddenly dawned on me that I'd been developing brillant ficticiuos counter strategy for the WRONG SIDE! This stuff was going to effect me. Just look at my situation -my daughter will turn 14 within 13 short years, I was already a tax payer, a driver, an employer and a victim of crime (some drunken lout keyed my car on his way home from the pub!) - i was already getting hit from every angle yet i was oblivious to the sting.
I needed to get this thing under control. so I swapped sides and started batting for the Taskforce! I immediately feel better.
I didn't beat myself up over jumping in too quckly, I'd learn't a valuable lesson and afterall I'd finally come around.
I realised my own process was all part of what we strategic marketers call the 'insight phase' - the first part of the strategic marketing process where you gather data and turn that data into information, and use that information to generate insight. It's from this insight that opportunities are identified and strategy is developed. Sometime, like in this case, the insight phase tells us and our clients to leave something well enough alone, to go down a totally different road, or to close a business unit or put an end to whatever they're doing - quickly.
For me, the insight process led me to realising I needed to switch camps and, unadorned by beer branding, walk over to the visitors dressing room and ask politely if I could join the team.
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