Our study compared the main marketing messages conveyed by retailers and producers for low/er and regular strength wine and beer products in the UK.
We found that compared with regular strength wines and beers, low/er strength products were more often marketed in association with occasions deemed to be suitable for their consumption including lunchtimes, outdoor events/barbeques, or on sports and fitness occasions.
Alcohol consumption in England has increased over time, particularly for wine. In a previous study, we found that wine sales in a bar and restaurant increased by almost 10% when wine was served in a larger glass (Pechey et al., 2016 and Pechey et al., 2017). In our new study, published in the BMJ Christmas issue, we examined whether wine glasses in England have increased in size over time, one of several possible influences upon increasing wine consumption in England. To continue reading about our findings click on the Read More button.
Wine glass size in England from 1700 to 2017: A measure of our time. Zupan, Z., Evans, A., Couturier, D.L., Marteau, T.M.
In this study we found that verbal descriptors of lower strength wine and beer formed two clusters and effectively communicated reduced alcohol content. 
The verbal descriptors Low, Lower, Light, Lighter, and Reduced formed a cluster and were rated as denoting lower strength products than Regular, but higher strength than the cluster with intensifiers consisting of Extra Low, Super Low, Extra Light and Super Light. To find out further information about this study click on the Read More button.
Impact of low alcohol verbal descriptors on perceived strength: An experimental study. Vasiljevic M, Couturier D-L, & Marteau TM, 2017
There is limited evidence available on whether alcohol advertising and counter-advertising impacts upon heavy drinkers’ alcohol consumption. Our study, a collaboration with colleagues at London South Bank University published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, aimed to address this…
In January 2016, the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers released a public consultation regarding updated guidelines for low-risk alcohol consumption. To assess the immediate online response to the new guidelines, we conducted a content analysis of comments on Twitter using…