Britain's flood of cheap booze is making mighty waves north of the border right now, so much so that Big 'Eck is wading in with his size 12s in an effort to boot out the BOGOFs and the Buckie. So far the Nats have managed to land on the populist side of the proverbial fence when it comes to policies, but this time they might face a public backlash (already there's a publicANS backlash). Basking in the glory of their recently announced 8th place in the world rankings, leaving the English trailing well down the field, the Scots can boast they put away 42 bottles of vodka per annum, for every man jack over the age of 16. Only the Irish of our near neighbours can beat this feat of inebriated imbibition. So... where should we in the promotional marketing business come down? Pro-booze? Anti-booze? Or just sit on the said fence and wait and see? For me personally - and returning to the opening metaphor - the dam has burst. You simply can't open a newspaper or turn on a radio without someone reminding you about the evils of alcohol - whether it's antisocial behaviour, the billions it costs via the NHS, or the damage its doing to you each time you take a drink. Unlike global warming, the weight of evidence has backed up and finally burst through. I believe it, and suddenly I see the impact in a new light. What then? After 18 years' continuous service for one alcohol brand or another, do we fall back on the 'it's only brand-switching' crutch employed by the ciggie boys? (I never could buy that one.) But it's been such fun... sometimes the only fun. (Try selling toilet rolls and tampons for a living.) And people's jobs depend upon it - in Scotland many, many jobs. It's a conundrum of far-reaching proportions. And more of an essay than a blog. But one to watch, and one for us all to think carefully about.
