Alcopops
Alcopop is a term coined by the popular media to describe bottled alcoholic beverages that resemble drinks such as soft drinks and lemonade.
In the alcoholic beverage industry they are known as RTDs (ready to drink), because they are already pre-mixed, or FABs (Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages) an attempt to downplay their strength and make them seem more consumer-friendly.
Contents
History
These drinks emerged onto the market in the mid-1990s with the launch of Merrydown`s Two Dogs and Hooper`s Hooch. Zima, introduced in 1994, was the first widely known and widely purchased alcopop and was marketed under the title of `malternative beverage`. Many more have followed, as the drinks became increasingly popular, especially with younger people.
Some have expressed concern that such drinks might appeal to children as they tend to be sweet and brightly coloured. Many alcopop advertising campaigns have been criticised as trying to make alcopops appeal to young drinkers. In the United Kingdom, that led to a media outcry during the mid-1990s as tabloid press associated alcopops with underage drinking which damaged sales and would lead to off license to withdraw them from their stores. The drinks would become popular again in 1998, when Bacardi introduced the Breezer using an adult specific marketing strategy.
The Federal Trade Commission carefully investigated ads, product placement, and internal company marketing documents after an anti-alcohol activist group filed a complaint. The commission determined that ads for the beverages don`t target minors and that the products aren`t marketed to them. It also found that the majority of alcopop consumers in the U.S. are over age 27. (Federal Trade Commission, 2003, Bloomberg News, Melillo).
Nevertheless concern remains. As a result Germany has imposed an extra duty of 0.80 to 0.90 euro per bottle effective August 1, 2004. Some now carry a warning stating that they are not for consumption by minors (under 18 in the UK and 21 in the United States). Other sweet alcoholic beverages that had been around for years, such as cider, wine coolers, and liqueurs, escaped this concern.
While the amount of beer being sold worldwide has dropped, the sale of alcopops has taken off dramatically. This is thought to be because the sweetness of alcopops appeals to younger drinkers more readily than the taste of wine or beer, and are less detectable on the drinker`s breath.
The Federal Trade Commission found that the typical consumer of `alcopops` drinks the beverages instead of, not in addition to, beer. Additionally, the typical alcopop drinker consumes no more than two or three per occasion. This is because their sweetness makes them more filling or satisfying (Federal Trade Commission, 2003). Therefore, it has been hypothesized that if alcopops became much more popular, heavy drinking would decrease.
This article is based entirely or in part on the
Alcopops wikipedia article
and is licenced under the terms of the
GNU Free Documentation Licence.
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