An Analysis of Social Campaigns Aimed at Reducing Alcohol Consumption: the Case of Poland

Abstract

Poland is currently grappling with a challenging situation: as salaries are increasing and more consumers can afford to purchase alcohol, alcoholic consumption in Poland is among the highest in the European Union. Specifically, the market for vodka alone currently stands at $347 million, and beer at $465.2 million (www.money.pl 2011). In response to these developments, the Polish government has levied high taxes on alcohol consumption and enacted some of the most stringent advertising laws for alcoholic products in the European Union. It also launched nine national advertising campaigns and a local campaign in the West-Pomeranian region and increased the excise tax on alcohol. The current study attempts to shed light on the campaigns and to offer insights into the different themes that the campaigns use to persuade consumers to limit their alcohol consumption and to act responsibly when consuming alcohol and to offer actionable solutions to change the alcohol-related consumption behavior in Poland through warning labels, health education, and other attempts at demarketing alcohol consumption. The paper also examines alternative venues that might lead to a change in the alcohol-related consumption behavior for Polish consumers, which may include instituting warning labels and other counteradvertising to educate the public with regard to alcohol-related risks, and thus curb the overall alcohol consumption and related negative outcomes for the Polish consumers.