Premier Distilleries Limited (PDL) staged a “responsibility” roadshow in Luweero while running a sales campaign that does the exact opposite. The promotion run by the company is simple: buy vodka or gin and enter a lottery where the more bottles you buy, the greater your chance of winning. Prizes include motorcycles, smartphones, TVs, cash payouts, and even a jackpot worth 50 million Ugandan shillings.
This lays bare the contradiction in PDL’s messaging. The company speaks of “responsible alcohol consumption,” but its campaign structurally rewards heavier consumption. The phrase itself is problematic – it frames alcohol harm as an individual failure of “responsibility” rather than the product’s risks and the corporations that aggressively market it. In reality, it allows companies to appear health-conscious while securing their sales.
Poverty in Uganda is widespread – nearly 70% of Ugandans live on less than $3.65 a day, according to World Bank data. In this context, marketing gimmicks that exploit people’s hopes of winning a motorcycle or life-changing cash prize by pushing them to buy more alcohol are blatantly predatory
The tactic follows Big Alcohol’s global playbook. PDL Distracts from alcohol harm by focusing on “illicit alcohol” and “responsible drinking” while driving sales of its own brands. The campaign incentivizes consumers to buy more bottles by tying expensive prizes to alcohol purchases. At the same time, it shifts responsibility away from the industry and onto individuals, as if alcohol harm were only about personal choices. And by focusing on “illicit alcohol” while running aggressive sales promotions, the company diverts attention from proven solutions such as higher taxes, limits on availability, and restrictions on advertising.
Manipulation is Big Alcohol’s activity to control its image. The alcohol industry engages in manipulation activities to protect and cultivate their image and the values of their brands. Deploying manipulation strategies serves for Big Alcohol to appear as “good corporate citizens”. The focus of the Dubious Five strategy of manipulation is the alcohol company, their brands and value. Examples are Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), green-washing, pink-washing, rainbow-washing, or white-washing activities.
https://softpower.ug/premier-distilleries-launches-bikole-masavu-rewards-campaign/