Rethinking how to tackle binge drinking using social marketing: A neotribal analysis

Abstract

In this article the authors report on primary research undertaken with young people in a deprived area of northwest England who use regular binge drinking as the lynch pin of their social group. Traditional health messaging approaches have had little success with this hard to reach group. Findings were analyzed using neotribal concepts. We found that the search for community and belonging occupied a central place in binge drinking behavior for this group. A discussion is offered of appropriate up- and downstream social marketing solutions, based on the principle that any exchange will need to offer community and other benefits equal to those currently delivered through binge drinking. © 2011 Crown.