This archive report was first published on 14 October 2021.
Published on October 14, 2021, East African Breweries Limited (EABL) has taken a significant step in promoting responsible alcohol marketing by partnering with over 150 influencers in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The influencers, who have a material connection with EABL, have made a pledge to uphold the Influencers Guiding Principles (IGPs) developed by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD).
The IGPs comprise of five safeguards that apply to influencer content, including selection, engagement, and monitoring of influencers. The safeguards aim to prevent minors from seeing alcohol-related content, promote responsible drinking, and reduce harmful drinking among adults.
EABL's Head of Media Futures, Waithera Kabiru, noted that the company is committed to ensuring responsible marketing of alcohol by social media influencers. 'EABL is committed to ensuring responsible marketing of alcohol by social media influencers. The new standards, the first of its kind in any industry, are building on existing digital marketing commitments that we already have in place, including the disclosure guidelines we use in East Africa ie #Paidpartnershipwith EABL, and ensuring we only partner with Influencers who are over the age of 25 years', she said.
The global initiative launched by IARD, in partnership with 13 advertising, public relations, and influencer agencies, aims to ensure alcohol marketing by social influencers is clearly recognized, responsibly advertised, and aimed at an audience over the legal purchase age. Influencer marketing across all sectors is predicted to grow to USD 13.8 billion by the end of 2021.
