The Wire

Ready-to-drink beverages are well known as being chick drinks, with their sweet flavours and attractive labelling seeming more appealing than the crude taste of alcohol. But this ‘look’ seems to be targeted at younger girls with free lip balm and bucket hats being up for grabs if the drinks are purchased. Anthony Smith, Health Promotion Officer for Sydney and Central Coast Health, wrote a paper on the issue, linking the high national figures of underage drinking (children over 14 – 83.6%) to the marketing strategy of companies selling alcohol. He says the marketing strategy is a deliberate attempt to get younger girls to drink and he is calling for tougher regulations in sales and bottle-shop displays.

Health Promotion Journal