“I just saw the alcohol brand, I never really thought of the zeros”: Young people’s views of NoLo and alibi alcohol sponsorship

Abstract

Alcohol companies frequently use sports sponsorship to maintain high visibility, even in jurisdictions with advertising restrictions. Strategies such as alibi marketing - using brand-associated slogans, colours, or fonts in place of explicit brand names, and NoLo marketing - promoting zero-alcohol variants of core brands, enable continued brand exposure. This study investigates young people's awareness of alcohol sponsorship and their perceptions of alibi and NoLo marketing in sports contexts. In December 2024, ten online focus groups (N = 44) were conducted with participants aged 11–17, stratified by age (11–13, 14–15, 16–17) and sex (male/female). Participants showed strong awareness of alcohol brands, with many recognising alibi sponsorships and associating them with full-strength alcohol products. Alibi strategies were perceived as deliberate efforts to circumvent regulations. NoLo sponsorships were rarely identified as marketing for non-alcoholic beverages; instead, branding similarities to alcohol products led participants to view them as covert advertising. Many recommended clearer differentiation to avoid misleading messaging. Findings highlight the pervasive impact of alcohol marketing on young people, even in partially restricted environments. Alibi and NoLo tactics sustain alcohol brand presence in sport, potentially normalising alcohol use and undermining policy efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm. These insights underscore the need for more comprehensive regulatory frameworks that address indirect marketing strategies and prioritise youth protection in sport sponsorship.