Alcohol and alcohol marketing is commonplace in the UK: billboards on the street telling us about the world’s best beer, gin or whisky; commercials on TV showing friends having a good time together on the beach with a glass of something in their hands; pop-up adverts online nudging us to buy the newest craft beer advent calendar; adverts in magazines encouraging us to reward ourselves and enjoy ‘wine o’clock’ after a hard day; alcohol logos popping up everywhere at our favourite sports matches and festivals; and greeting cards wishing us a ‘gin-tastic’ day or an ‘un-beer-lievable birthday’.

This prevalence of alcohol marketing helps to normalise – and often glamourise – alcohol and creates a culture where alcohol is seen as an ‘essential part’ of everyday life. This report focuses on people’s experience of alcohol marketing. It explores what alcohol marketing is and where we come across it, what role it plays in contributing to alcohol harm and what can be done to reduce it.