Heineken main sponsor of comic event – marketing alcohol towards minors

Heineken will be the official sponsor of this year’s edition of CCXP in Brazil, taking place fro mDecember 5 to 8, 2024. Thought the sponsorship deal, the alcohol company has secured  exclusivity in the segments of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers throughout the event.

CCXP (originally called Comic Con Experience) is a Brazilian entertainment and comic convention. It is based on the San Diego Comic-Con and has attractions and contents about comics, television series, movies, video games, literature, and Internet. According to Wikipedia, it’s the largest pop culture festival in the world. This is the first time the event’s main sponsor is an alcohol company.  

Heineken sponsoring this event – and exclusively selling both non-alcoholic beers and alcohol at the event – means directly targeting and exposing minors to alcohol advertising and promotion. There is no age-limit at the event, children as young as five can attend if they are accompanied by a guardian. Children 16 and above can attend on their own.

Promotion, or any marketing strategies, is Big Alcohol’s activity to drive alcohol availability and acceptability, to perpetuate the alcohol norm, and to place alcohol at the center of people’s thoughts and preferences, communities’ practices, and societies’ customs. The absence of comprehensive policies and regulations on alcohol advertising and promotion exacerbates public health risks.

Exposure to industry tactics, including celebrity endorsements and glamorous portrayals of drinking lifestyles, significantly influences societal attitudes and behaviors toward alcohol, particularly among youth.

Photo by Arquimedes Santos (used under Creative Commons license)

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