Page 2143 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 August 2014
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Alcohol brands also incorporate their brand into a user’s identity by inviting them to upload photos of themselves drinking the product and enjoying it, effectively marketing it. Timing is another tactic. Brands most commonly post to Facebook on Fridays between 3 and 6 pm. This optimises engagement with users who are perhaps leaving work for a drink, going to the bottle shop or getting ready to enjoy the weekend, encouraging them to post their weekend drinking exploits.
Dr Carah accepts that people should be able to say what they feel and to market the brand with friends if they want to. Facebook has policies and guidelines on alcohol advertising following Australia’s alcohol beverages advertising code, ABAC, and there are very few complaints from the public. It would appear that alcohol companies are acting responsibly, but Dr Carah argues that this is not the case. Whilst alcohol promotion on Facebook is not illegal, brands prompt users to say things that challenge a regulatory framework.
Dr Carah calls on governments and the alcohol brands to rein in the social media marketing of alcohol in recognition of the serious health and social problems caused by excessive consumption.
Canberra Gang Show
MR WALL (Brindabella) (5.41): I rise tonight to acknowledge the fantastic annual ACT scouts and guides gang show I attended in mid-July at the Canberra boys grammar school. The production, Bean and Gone, was a fine display of young people getting out there and giving the creative side of life a crack, building skills in theatre production, both onstage and backstage. The gang show is a great opportunity for young people to challenge themselves, build new friendships, gain confidence, improve their time management skills and, best of all, have fun.
This year’s gang show was done in honour of Michael Peter Hickey, a leader of the ACT scout movement. Mr Hickey dedicated over 45 years of his life to the movement here in Canberra; for 30 of those, he was heavily involved in the production of the local gang show. I would like to congratulate producer Phil Oldfield, director Evan Long, assistant director Katrina Nash, technical director Richard Surkus and musical director Anna Davies for putting on a great display of youth involvement, as the scouts and guides always endeavour to do.
Also particular congratulations should go to the friends of the gang show, namely, the Bendigo Bank, Kimberly Gaal, Claire Smith, Anna Richardson, Allison Haese, the 2014 creative group, Mount Rogers scout group, Murrungundie district guides, Diamantina scout group, ACT branch arts people, Whitehorse Showtime, the Albury gang show, Canberra Grammar, Bunnings Tuggeranong, APRA, PPCA and AMCOS. I would also like to extend a personal thanks to Peter Harris, the chief commissioner of Scouts ACT, for his kind invitation to join him to watch the production this year and for giving me the opportunity to meet the 100-odd cast and crew of the production.
I look forward to attending next year’s 48th Canberra gang show. I am sure it will be as impressive as this year’s edition, if not more so. Once again, this event is a great testament to youth involvement in our city. Hopefully, such involvement will remain strong into the future.
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