eprintid: 54 rev_number: 11 eprint_status: archive userid: 37 dir: disk0/00/00/00/54 datestamp: 2016-10-14 10:34:49 lastmod: 2016-10-17 13:41:54 status_changed: 2016-10-14 10:34:49 type: thesis metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Whelan, Vincent title: An investigation into the extent of alcohol advertising and sponsorship in televised sport in Ireland and whether or not it should be banned ispublished: unpub divisions: MAJ full_text_status: public keywords: Ireland, sport, advertising, sponsorship, alcohol, television abstract: The topic of advertising and sponsorship in sport has always been a fascinating one for me. That is why it was an easy choice to do this dissertation on. Through extensive study it was hoped that I would learn more about the topic and be able to comment on how ingrained it is in the fabric of society and how likely or unlikely it is to change. date: 2016 date_type: completed institution: Griffith College department: Faculty of Journalism & Media Communications thesis_type: masters referencetext: 78-83 Interview transcripts 84-108 Abstract The topic of advertising and sponsorship in sport has always been a fascinating one for me. That is why it was an easy choice to do this dissertation on. Through extensive study it was hoped that I would learn more about the topic and be able to comment on how ingrained it is in the fabric of society and how likely or unlikely it is to change. Chapter I - Introduction The link between alcohol and sport in Ireland is not a recent phenomenon. It is ingrained in Irish cultural history. Indeed, there is evidence of it all the way back in the seventeenth century where, 'the association of drink with sporting endeavours was remarked upon by English visitor, John Dunton, when he wrote of hurling matches in which parishes or baronies would challenge one another, with teams of up to 20 a side: ‘The prize is generally a barrel or two of ale, which is brought into the field and drunk by the victors on the spot, though the vanquished are not without a share of it too' (Kilcommins and O'Donnell, 2003 p1-2). It is surprising therefore, that so few studies have been conducted on the relationship between the two as, 'there is a scarcity of domestic studies to measure the impact of sports sponsorship by alcohol companies and it is not clear the extent to which social norms or accepted cultural behaviour in Irish society influence drinking behaviour compared to alcohol industry sponsorship of sporting events' (Report of the Working Group on Regulating Sponsorship by Alcohol Companies of Major Sporting Events, 2014 p.6). O'Keefe explains how this sentiment has been used as justification by the government to row back on their plan to phase out alcohol sponsorship from sport by 2016 as, 'The government's action plan on alcohol, published in October 2013, kicked the issue to touch by establishing a working group on it. That group reported at the end of 2014, stating that evidence of the links between sponsorship and consumption was limited. It noted a lack of research on the subject in Ireland' (O'Keeffe, 2016). This study will seek to rectify this gap in research by carrying out a content analysis of ten broadcasts from Euro 2016 and The 2016 GAA Championship that were televised in Ireland. Any example of alcohol advertising or sponsorship will be recorded so as to illustrate the extent to which the public are exposed to alcohol promotion while watching sport. Furthermore, public opinion will be sampled through surveys of fans in attendance at specified soccer and GAA matches. Lastly, expert interviews from representatives from both sides of the debate surrounding banning this type of promotion will be carried out. The Literature Review will outline the most relevant research that has been conducted into the link and consequences of alcohol advertising and sponsorship in sport. Most of it has been done overseas in the United States of America and Australia. The strengths and weaknesses of each study will be assessed in order to derive knowledge for how best to tackle this study. The Methodology meanwhile, will set out each method used in detail and justify why mixing quantitative and qualitative methods complements rather than complicates the study. The first two Findings chapters will be derived from meticulous documentation of any alcohol advertisements or examples of alcohol sponsorship throughout five broadcasts each from two of the premier sporting events this summer: the Euro 2016 soccer tournament and The 2016 GAA Championship. While adverts will be described and analysed, examples of alcohol sponsorship during matches will be laid out in tables that list each example as well as their duration and at what stage during the match they occurred. The final Findings chapter will be made up of opinions from other people. Firstly, concise demographics of soccer and GAA fans will be sampled as surveys of fans in attendance at matches for both sports will be taken. The thesis will shift its focus to obtaining expert, individual opinion on the topic through qualitative interviews. Finally, the Conclusion will reflect on the amount of alcohol advertising and sponsorship present in these broadcasts and allied with knowledge gained of what the sporting public and experts think, recommend what steps if any should be put in place. Chapter II - Literature Review 2.1 Is alcohol intake a problem in Ireland? The first thing to establish in this study is that alcohol, and specifically the impact of alcohol-related sponsorship in sport, is a problem that should be addressed in Ireland. Alcoholireland.ie has no doubt that there is a problem with alcohol consumption as they say, 'Findings from research on alcohol consumption in Ireland show that, among those who drink, the majority are doing so in a harmful manner, with younger drinkers most likely to do so. Based on the figures in the Health Research Board's National Alcohol Diary Survey, more than 150,000 Irish people are dependent drinkers, more than a 1.35 million are harmful drinkers, and 30% of people interviewed say that they experienced some form of harm as a result of their own drinking. The report also reveals that 75% of alcohol consumed in Ireland is done so as part of binge drinking and we underestimate what we drink by about 60%' (Alcohol Action Ireland, 2016). 2.2 Evidence of alcohol advertising and sponsorship contributing to harmful drinking While this does clarify that alcohol use as a whole is detrimental to Irish society, it is not enough to justify a study exclusively about alcohol advertising and sponsorship of sport in Ireland. This is justified through a collection of evidence on the topic. The first task is to look abroad for any examples of these types of studies being deemed worth carrying out. This is apparent when one sees that the New Zealand, 'government has been told to end alcohol sponsorship of sports clubs and ban any advertising of beer, wine and spirits during televised matches by a ministerial forum' (Alcohol action Ireland, 2014). Ireland is in particular need for such a study since, 'there is a scarcity of domestic studies to measure the impact of sports sponsorship by alcohol companies and it is not clear the extent to which social norms or accepted cultural behaviour in Irish society influence drinking behaviour compared to alcohol industry sponsorship of sporting events' (Report of the Working Group on Regulating Sponsorship by Alcohol Companies of Major Sporting Events, 2014 p.6). O'Keefe explains how this sentiment has been used as justification by the government to row back on their plan to phase out alcohol sponsorship from sport by 2016 as, 'The government's action plan on alcohol, published in October 2013, kicked the issue to touch by establishing a working group on it. That group reported at the end of 2014, stating that evidence of the links between sponsorship and consumption was limited. It noted a lack of research on the subject in Ireland' (O'Keeffe, 2016). There has been some research in Ireland devoted to the drinking habits of some sports compared to others. This has spotted a clear distinction between some sports because, 'Different sports appear to have different drinking patterns. In an Irish survey, traditional field sports such as rugby, cricket, hurling, soccer and Gaelic football were found to have the highest percentage of athletes who consume alcohol compared with sports such as horse racing, cycling and tennis' (O'Brien, 2013 p. 137). But one does need to look overseas to find studies devoted to the connection between sports, fans and their alcohol consumption as so little research into this issue has been carried out in Ireland. Once again, it is evident that this is not a connection formed in recent years since, 'Alcohol, and the promotion and advertising of alcohol, has been associated with sporting events in most countries for many decades -to the extent where it has been argued that it would “be unusual to view a sporting event without seeing some form of event signage or a commercial for an alcohol or tobacco brand” (Jones, 2010 p.5) . In the US, the alcohol industry spends more than $540 million per year on advertising in sports programs on TV (Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2003 p. 7). University students who are sports fans have been found to drink more alcohol, be more likely to engage in binge drinking, and more likely to report alcohol-related problems than students who are not sports fans (Nelson and Wechsler, 2003) (Jones, Wollongong, and Barrie, 2010 p.60). The traditional link between sports and alcohol justifies why it is a topic worthy of being studied. It has not diminished and likely will not any time in the near future. 2.3 The amount spent on alcohol advertising and sponsorship in sport Having looked at the amounts spent on alcohol sponsorship in large countries like the United States, it is useful to discern how much companies in Ireland spend on it. Figures suggest that, 'It is estimated that the value of sport sponsorship by alcoholic drinks companies in Ireland is €25 to €30 million per annum' (Federation of Irish Sport Response to 'Questions for Consultation' from the Department of the Taoiseach Working Group on Regulating Sponsorship by Alcohol Companies of Major Sporting Events, 2014 p.1). This brings into sharp focus that Ireland also spends a considerable amount of money on it, relative to its size. It should be recognised, however, that this report is of the belief that alcohol sponsorship should not be banned from sports. They say, 'Funding for sport is vital to the continued operation, management, administration, delivery and development of sport in Ireland' (Federation of Irish Sport Response to 'Questions for Consultation' from the Department of the Taoiseach Working Group on Regulating Sponsorship p.1). They point to the Irish government's less than stellar backing of sporting events as a primary reason for alcohol sponsorship to continue. Their criticism of the Irish government is further outlined and understood when they explain, 'The experience of our members in seeking to attract sponsorship would indicate that this funding is not replaceable at present' (‘Federation of Irish Sport Response to ‘Questions for Consultation', 2010 p.1). Findings from this report suggest that it would be more difficult for Ireland than it would be for larger countries, to ban alcohol sponsorship at sporting events. This is because of the Irish government's history of not setting aside much money to entirely fund cultural and sporting events (‘Federation of Irish Sport Response to ‘Questions for Consultation', 2010 p.1) . 2.4 Ireland's regulations Something that the Irish government has put in place in relation to this topic are regulations that attempt to constrain the level of misrepresentation and exaggeration in alcohol advertisements. This set of regulations are called the Alcohol Marketing, Communications and Sponsorship Codes of Practice, which were set in place in 2008. Some of the main principles outlined in it are that, ‘Alcohol Drinks Companies will not sponsor Any individuals, teams, bands or acts or concerts featuring such bands or acts which are below the legal drinking age Racing/rallying by any mechanically propelled vehicle Sports that focus on aggression e.g. boxing or wrestling Individuals or bands or acts or concerts featuring such individuals, bands or acts whose target audience profile is 25% or more over the age of 18' (Alcohol Marketing, Communications and Sponsorship Codes of Practice, 2008 p.19). These laws are flouted in terms of not sponsoring events with large viewership demographics of people under the legal drinking age. Instead, they tap into the young male psyche in particular as, ‘Alcohol sports sponsorship links masculinity, alcohol and sport and embeds alcoholic products into the everyday life of the consumer. It reaches the target audience - young males who are the keenest sports fans and heaviest drinkers. During the 2008 European Football Championship, there was high exposure of young adolescent boys (under 16 years) to beer advertisements. Those who watched more football games had a higher intention to drink alcohol in the following months than youths who have not seen the games frequently. A recent study found a direct effect of alcohol advertising and alcohol portrayal in movies on drinking behaviour of male adolescents. It is also important to recognise that many of the contemporary marketing communications practices are not subject to detailed measurement or research evaluation' (Hope, 2009 p.6). This study focuses on the effect alcohol advertisements have on children and teenagers. This tends to be the area that the majority of alcohol sponsorship studies are concerned with. They discuss the psychological imprint these ads or sponsorship may leave on still developing minds. There are very few studies, especially in Ireland, that delve entirely into the raw numbers of how often both advertising and sponsorship occur during high-profile televised matches. This is something that anyone who watches these matches are exposed to. This study will seek to rectify that. 2.5 Does it only affect men? The question then arises whether or not to focus on all genders as well as all ages. In spite of the above assertion of men being more susceptible to falling for the tactic of associating alcohol with a core part of their identity, it would be remiss to ignore the effect it has upon women. This is due to evidence suggesting that women engage in similarly unhealthy drinking as, 'Both men and women in Ireland reported high levels of binge drinking: only 7% of men and 16% of women said they had never drunk five or more drinks on one occasion. Responding to the SLAN study, 17% of women and 38% of men reported consuming six or more drinks on one occasion at least once a week' (The Women's Health Council, 2009 p.5). Furthermore, they concluded that, 'Although the alcohol industry claims that advertising functions primarily to increase a producer's market share and to promote brand loyalty, research has found that alcohol advertising does have an effect on use of alcohol, particularly by young people (Snyder et al., 2006)...Indirect forms of advertising, especially sponsorship of sports events and teams by alcohol producers, may also have an influence that should not be ignored. For this reason, the action proposed in the second report of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol, to enact legislation to control the promotion of alcohol by restricting advertising, sponsorship and sales promotions, is essential' (The Women's Health Council, 2009 p.5). So despite sports typically being associated with men the reality is that, 'Interest varies by gender and age, but not that much: ‘”only” 80% of women are interested in sport and exercise, while up to 87% of 16-24 year olds are interested' (Lee, 2014 p.6). Because of this fact it is clear that women are also susceptible to fall under the allure of alcohol advertising and sponsorship of sport which may contribute to unhealthy drinking levels in this country. 2.6 Past methodologies to learn from When it comes to methodology carried out in these studies and how they might be incorporated into this one, there is a lot to work with. It is apparent throughout all examples that one should set out the parameters early on in a very easy to discern fashion, 'This paper reviews the current alcohol advertising regulations in Australia, particularly in reference to the protection of children. It then details a pair of studies designed to examine the extent and nature of alcohol advertising during sporting telecasts, and the potential effects on young people. The first, a frequency and content analysis of advertising during two popular Australian sports final series, found that alcohol advertising (particularly during a sporting competition with alcohol company sponsors) is extensive and contains both features known to be appealing to children and messages which could be interpreted as associating alcohol consumption with social and sporting success' (Jones, Phillipson and Barrie, 2010 p.59). There are similar outlines of how a content analysis is constructed as well how it should be read elsewhere, 'We applied a Delphi rating technique to all beer ads (n = 289) broadcast in national markets in the United States between 1999 and 2008 during the NCAA championship basketball games. The procedure required a panel of expert raters to use standardized rating scales on 2 occasions, once using their independent judgment and the second time informed by the ratings of other experts' (Babor, Xuan, Damon and Noel 2013 p.46). Another example to seek inspiration from demonstrated how, '108 participants were randomly exposed to dynamic sporting events excerpts with and without advertising for a specific brand of alcohol, after completing self reported measures of alcohol-related expectancies, alcohol consumption and attitudes toward sport. Participants then completed a lexical decision task and an affective priming task' (Bègue, Duke, Flaudias and Zerhouni, 2015 p.3). This is particularly useful as the quantity of participants is a realistic target for this study to match with its surveys as it is a realistic sample size to obtain considering the limits of not having multiple researchers on hand to share the load. Aside from the content analysis, this study will include surveying of fans at matches to make conclusions based on what a large quantity of them say in relation to alcohol and sports sponsorship. This is a tried and trusted technique as previous examples followed a similar convention in valuing the opinions of the masses, ‘This study's primary purpose was to examine the opinions of consumers toward the appropriateness of food and non-alcoholic beverage sponsorships of sporting events in relation to other products' (Danylchuk and MacIntosh, 2009 p.69). In this case the survey audience deemed, ‘sporting goods companies and sport drink and water companies were considered the most appropriate sponsors. Tobacco was the least appropriate sponsor followed by liquor and fast food. The majority of participants were not in favour of government laws to prevent less healthy food and beverage companies from sponsoring sporting events' (Danylchuk and MacIntosh, 2009 p.69). In saying that, this study will also seek to contact those who have the official capacity to possibly change how much alcohol promotion is exposed to the masses. Representative of broadcasters like RTÉ would be chief among that list as they could justify why they allow this. The areas of questioning would be why alcohol advertising is permitted in their sports broadcasts and could they function without it. The survey results of Danylchuk and MacIntosh were replicated in a recent Irish survey on the matter. It was revealed in 2014 that, 'Of the 992 survey participants, 31% believe that alcohol brand sponsorship of sporting events should be stopped. Interestingly more women (33%) than men (30%) felt strongly about this, as did older age groups. Those aged over 55 were the most in agreement that a ban on alcohol sponsorship of sporting events should be implemented (41%), compared to all other age groups; 18-34 (27%), 35-44 (23%) and 45-54 (31%)...However, nearly two fifths (39%) of Irish adults surveyed disagreed or strongly disagreed that there should be a ban on alcohol sponsorship of sporting events' (checkout.ie, 2014). A criticism that might be levelled at this study is that while it samples a large audience, there is no set criteria amongst them. This study's survey will rectify that by narrowing the pool of respondents to fans of the two sports in question, soccer and Gaelic games. It will also be investigated why alcohol companies are able to somewhat regulate themselves in this country. This flaw in this kind of system has been capitalised by other companies overseas as, ‘To avoid partial or total bans on alcohol marketing through statutory regulation, alcohol industry groups have developed self-regulation guidelines that describe which types of content (and exposure markets) they will exclude voluntarily. In recent years, self-regulation codes have come under increasing scrutiny for several reasons. First, it is alleged that the sections of the codes governing acceptable content are ambiguous and difficult to interpret. Second, the sections governing exposure markets may not prevent large numbers of young people, the primary vulnerable group the codes are designed to protect, from being exposed to alcohol marketing. Third, the complaint and adjudication process used to determine whether a particular ad has violated the code is considered inefficient and possibly biased in favour of industry interests' (Babor, Xuan, Damon and Noel, 2013 p.45). 2.7 Why only soccer and GAA? It is also necessary to limit research onto a few, select sports as to attempt to study sponsorship of all sports in Ireland would be too time consuming. In order to be able to discern tangible findings, this study shall focus exclusively on the two most wateched sports in Ireland. The value of sport as a subject is apparent as, 'The Irish love sport. In fact, our survey shows that 84% of adults are interested in sport and exercise: that's 2.8 million peopleánd that 'The average viewer watches 108 minutes of live sport on TV every week' (Lee 2014, p.6). Three sports stand out, however, as the ones that people spend the most time watching as, 'This study found that 46% of the population were spectators of sport (The Irish Sports Council, Ballpark Figures Key Research For Irish Sports Policy p.5) and that, 'The GAA dominates spectating, accounting for over half of all attendances, followed by soccer and rugby' (The Irish Sports Council, Ballpark Figures Key Research For Irish Sports Policy p.19). Similarly RTÉ's sports viewership figures for 2013 demonstrate that all 20 of the most watched sporting events that year were comprised of those three sports (RTE.ie, 2013). The reason rugby has been omitted is that the season was over while study for this thesis was underway. The GAA football and hurling Championship and EURO 2016 were the marquee events in their respective sports so they were bound to attract large audiences and so, be suitable events to study. One of the chief arguments against banning alcohol sponsorship is that these organisations need the money to survive. Indeed, it even emerged in 2011 that, 'the GAA, in cooperation with the IRFU and the FAI, had sent a request to Fine Gael and Labour prior to the formation of the new government asking that there be no ban on alcohol sponsorship within sport' (Baker, 2011). However, Alcohol Action Ireland have rejected the premise that sports organisations need the money stemming from sports sponsorship since, 'At the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications hearing, the GAA, IRFU and FAI all clearly said they are not dependant on alcohol sponsorship, so there is absolutely no question over the viability of these or any other sporting organisations in Ireland in the absence of alcohol sponsorship' (Alcohol Action Ireland, 2014 p.19). This will be something to examine particularly in any interviews with figures representing the FAI, GAA and also the broadcasters that showcase this sponsorship. When one delves into the history of alcohol sponsorship in the GAA it is a storied link as Guinness are credited with revitalising the hurling championship when they, 'invested heavily in some dazzling advertisement campaigns that created iconic images and memorable catch-phrases such as “Not Men but Giants” (Foley, 2013). The connection between the hurling championship and Guinness was unavoidable as their titles merged from 1995 until 2008 as it was known as The Guinness hurling championship. Guinness was synonymous with this sport. Their campaign's theme of mythologizing sporting figures is as relevant nowadays as it was back then as this is a clear tactic of alcohol advertising and sponsorship that occurs repeatedly throughout examples unearthed in this study. In the case of Guinness and their famed relationship with the GAA, it has been scaled back in recent years. From 2008 until 2012 they had to share the sponsorship spotlight with Ethiad Airways and Centra while they also lost their title rights. Subsequently, 2013 marked the end of their association as a sponsor (Foley, 2013). However, as Crowe pointed out, ties were not completely severed as a new deal was quickly agreed upon, 'Guinness will still have a role in the GAA; it hasn't gone away. Swift came the announcement of a new agreement which sees the company billed a "proud partner" to the GAA and Croke Park Stadium. An accompanying press release statement talked of the "relationshipëntering a third decade. The new "arrangement" would "provide opportunities for the GAA, Croke Park and Guinness to innovate together on new business and marketing collaborations" (Crowe, 2013) . Foley attributes this somewhat vague evolution of the dynamic between Guinness and the GAA as them having 'pre-empted expected changes in alcohol sponsorship of sporting events by calling time on their hurling deal' (Foley, 2013). 2.8 Political discourse and action on the topic in Ireland This suggestion that the tide is turning against alcohol sponsorship in sport is founded by recent discourse on the topic amongst Irish politicians. During his term as Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar oversaw the publication of a Public Health Bill that has been described as a, 'wide-ranging Bill, which is aimed at curbing the country's ongoing excessive abuse of alcohol' that, 'will make it an offence to advertise or market alcohol in a way which glamorises drink. Ads which suggest that alcohol can make someone better at sport or more sexually attractive will be banned' (O'Regan, 2015). While this piece of legislation successfully made it through Cabinet, an over-arching ban on alcohol sponsorship was muted but ultimately not implemented (rte.ie, 2015). Historical parallels have been drawn between the discourse around potentially ending alcohol sponsorship that is ongoing with that of cigarettes in the past, which were eventually banned from sport. Duncan comments that, ‘Little about the current debate is new of course. In many ways, what we are witnessing now is the reheating of arguments that were previously played out over cigarettes' (Duncan, 2013). Duncan also says that of the leading sporting organisations in Ireland, ‘Only the GAA, notwithstanding its public show of solidarity with the FAI and the IRFU, appears to have envisaged a future without drink sponsorship. The Association has greatly reduced its dependency on revenues from this source in recent years' (Duncan, 2013). This will be something worth investigating. Is alcohol sponsorship noticeably miniscule in GAA broadcasts compared to that of its soccer counterparts? 2.9 Justification for study The literature on this topic confirms that this is a subject that requires further research in Ireland as this country is lacking in studies comparable to that of the United States or Australia. Furthermore, there is a noticeable trend that the studies which have been undertaken so far, tend to hone in on the effects alcohol advertising and sponsorship has on children and young people. While this is understandable as children and young people have been proven to be the most susceptible to the influence of these campaigns, this study will provide a colder, more forensic look into the statistics behind the amount and frequency of alcohol advertising and sponsorship in televised sporting occasions. This will therefore, be more accessible to the general public as the studies primarily based on analysing the psychological effects of adverts and sponsorship on children can be very dense. One can feel bogged down in complicated analysis of how a child's mind can be warped over many years of intake of a society saturated with alcohol marketing. This study instead will offer something of an introductory course into the topic as the raw numbers of alcohol ads and sponsorship examples will be the focus while issues such as the long-term effects on children shall only be lightly touched upon. Examining multiple events is also a strength here where other studies fall down. By not merely restricting this study to one or two sporting occasions, conclusions can be drawn that are more concrete than studies surrounding a lone event. Chapter III - Methodology 3.1 Overview The methodology employed for this study is made up of a content analysis, two surveys of people in attendance to watch two separate matches and qualitative interviews. The content analysis will study the amount of alcohol advertising and sponsorship that takes place during matches from the European soccer championships and the GAA Championship. An equal number of soccer and GAA matches will be recorded and analysed. Any example of alcohol advertising or sponsorship will be documented. Similarly, one survey will each be devoted to a GAA and soccer match. Finally, four qualitative interviews will gather expert views from two people educated on the influence of alcohol advertising and sponsorship as well as two people who are involved in sporting organisations or national broadcaster who oppose any attempts to quell it. This is a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods. While it does mean a tougher workload in having to balance both types of research, there is a clear advantage to utilising both rather than just one as, 'Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data can improve an evaluation by ensuring that the limitations of one type of data are balanced by the strengths of another' (Pasanen, 2013). It is helpful to look at other studies on this topic and the methods they utilised. One that strikes a lot of parallels with this one is 'Alcohol advertising and sponsorship in Formula One: A Dangerous Cocktail'. The method used there is extremely similar to this study as they recorded a large, live, televised sporting event as, 'Live coverage of the Formula One Grand Prix, held in Monaco 25th May 2014 (broadcast internationally by Sky Sports) was recorded in its entirety. There was 284 minutes of TV coverage including pre-race build up (93 min), the race (109 min) and the post-race analysis (82 min)' (Brown, Carr, O'Brien and Gilnes 2015, p.12). Rather than focusing on just the race itself, this study placed equal value on the pre and post-event coverage as it offers a significant platform to influence its audience through advertising and sponsorship references to alcohol. One weakness of their study is that it is based around an isolated event. This study will avoid this flaw by having a larger sample size gathered from ten broadcasts from two separate sports over the span of several weeks. This way it can identify trends in how many alcohol advertisements and sponsorship instances occur. 3.2 The benefits of combing methods While one does tend to assume at the outset of embarking upon a research project that using two forms of research is simply bound to be better than just one because it sounds like a more thorough approach, one must acknowledge that this school of thought is not universally agreed upon. Detractors are said to be adopting a purist stance when they, 'argue that mixed methods are inappropriate because of the incompatibility of the worldview or belief system (paradigms) [Tashakkori & Teddlie 2003] underlying qualitative and quantitative methods, i.e., qualitative and quantitative methods are studying different phenomena with different methods [Smith & Hodkinson, 2005]. Some purists have also raised concerns that mixed methods designs leave qualitative methods in the position of being secondary to quantitative methods [Denzin, 2006; Giddings, 2006; Yin, 2006]' (Harwell 2011, p.152) . This second point is something that will have to be monitored throughout this study as initially the plan was to essentially just add in the qualitative interviews on top of the findings from the content analysis. After now recognising that this could result in the interviews not being given enough prominence, this study will endeavour to use them to mainly unearth new data on the topic rather than just reinforcing the findings of the content analysis and surveys. 3.3 Why soccer and GAA work well together as subjects All of the Euro 2016 matches which have been studied were broadcast on RTÉ and TV3. Of the 10 matches, three featured on a list of the ten most watched matches (Browne, 2016). While RTÉ did have all of the ten most watched matches, TV3's coverage has still, ‘been a ratings winner for TV3, with overall viewing figures close to 3 million people' (Thejournal.ie, 2016). Interestingly, that same article points out that the Belgium versus Italy game, which is one of those studied, was one of their three most watched matches in both traditional viewing format as well as in streaming. Another dimension as to why it is important to study broadcasts from RTÉ is that advertisements on it have been proven to hold more sway over Irish viewers than other channels because of the power of its brand that has been built up over decades. 'Research Study: TV Effectiveness & Affinity' proves this. Respondents to this study cited its, 'Solid, reliable, trustworthy image, values the consumer feel can credibly transfer to those advertising on RTÉ' (Loughrey and McNulty 2008, p.5). This built-in assumption on the part of the average Irish viewer adds further weight to the importance of this study as advertisements on RTÉ are more influential than advertisements on other channels. The decision to include TV3 and their coverage of soccer matches from the same tournament was made because this will offer an insightful contrast. Does the private broadcaster run as many alcohol advertisements as its public competitor or vice versa? If it is the case that TV3 run fewer alcohol advertisements than RTÉ, then it begs the question, why does a publicly funded channel have to have so many when rivals who do not receive government funding are able to cope without as many? 'Alcohol advertising and sponsorship in Formula One: A Dangerous Cocktailálso provides an applicable blueprint for this study to follow as in it, ‘The coding framework for the study employed similar methods as to previous alcohol sponsorship and advertising research, and captured all verbal and visual references to alcohol during the whole broadcast. Specifically, the coding framework coded/counted individual instances of alcohol marketing material on trackside signage (e.g., fences/barriers); track surfaces; audience seating areas; gantries; free standing signs or flags; Formula 1 cars; drivers uniforms; crew uniforms; spectators clothing; digital overlays; alcohol advertising and sponsorships in commercial breaks (frequency and duration); and other references to alcohol not covered by the categories above. Visual occurrences received a single count for each instance they were on screen' (Brown et al. 2015, p.12). One can simply substitute drivers for players and trackside signage for advertising hoardings that surround pitches and the methodology is readily identifiable. Similarly, both soccer and GAA players have sponsors emblazoned upon their jerseys, akin to their driver contemporaries. The fact that soccer and Gaelic games are even more similar to one another as sports should make for a smooth, cohesive study as if one knows how to correctly measure the number of alcohol marketing instances taking place in one sport, they will be able to do so in the other as they both take place on a very similarly sized pitch with stadium design and match tempo and duration very alike. By contrast, if a researcher was to attempt this study but with soccer and golf, it would be difficult to ascertain which sport was in general, more susceptible to alcohol marketing of all kinds as a golf tournament lasts four days whereas the difference between soccer and Gaelic games is approximately twenty minutes in match duration. The formats they are broadcast in tend to be almost identical too, as in the amount of pre and post-match broadcast time as well as the amount of time allotted to advertisements at half-time and at other junctures. 3.4 Quantitative method and its validity When trying to explain what quantitative research is, there are many descriptions which one can quote. A very literal and straightforward one is that it is research that is, ‘explaining phenomena by collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods (in particular statistics)' (Cresswell 1994 in Sukamolson 2007, p.2). However, Cohen's definition alludes more to an analytical power beyond the numbers that it can have as, ‘social research that employs empirical methods and empirical statements. He states that an empirical statement is defined as a descriptive statement about what “is” the case in the “real world” rather than what “ought” to be the case' (Cohen 1980 in Sukamolson 2007, p.2) . The reason the core part of this study, the content analysis, uses quantitative methods is that it is less susceptible to personal bias impinging upon it. It is strictly based on numbers and statistics. Raw, unadulterated data provides a very objective foundation from which to build from and only then incorporate qualitative research on top of it. Carr expounds upon this reasoning for using quantitative research as she believes, 'The strength of such a detached approach is avoidance of researcher involvement, guarding against biasing the study and ensuring objectivity' (Carr 1994, p.717). 3.5 Selecting the interview genre The reason that qualitative methods have also been chosen is that quantitative does have its limitations. When it comes to justifying the inclusion of interviews into this study, one need only look at the weaknesses of quantitative methods as they are inclined to be, 'somewhat inflexible and artificial. It provides very little understanding towards the actions demonstrated by people and as a result, make it difficult to predict any changes in the future' (Zawawi 2007, p.4). Zawawi explains that qualitative methods have that, 'ability to look at the change processes over time. By interviewing and observing people, the methods provide a better understanding on people's meanings. With a good amount of valuable information, the data, ideas and issues can be adjusted as they emerge. Due to this, it is a better instrument used by researchers who want to be able to generate theories at the end of their studies' (Zawawi 2007, p.4). This is very applicable to this thesis as the ultimate goal is to come up with an answer to the question of whether or not alcohol advertisements and sponsorship should be banned from Irish sport. Zawawi acknowledges a human element to interviews that can make life difficult for the researcher because, 'it is impossible for a researcher to maintain the same discussion when interviewing various individuals. This is due to the fact that humans are often encouraged to talk about unrelated things from time to time. As a result, the analysis and interpretation of the data may be very difficult' (Zawawi, 2007, p.4). This individualistic streak does, however, mean that interviewees are likely to express a wider variety of opinions compared to a strictly quantitative version. This sentiment from Zawawi led to the inclusion of a question asking both interviewees who are opposed to alcohol advertising and sponsorship, for their opinion of what changes ought to be brought in. As the majority of research that has gone into this study is quantitative, any qualitative traits that have stood out in previous studies have been incorporated into the interview process. Indeed, many of the questions were directly inspired by readings on the subject for example, ‘A 2013 study in New Zealand, which looked at the relationship between alcohol and major sporting events, found that alcohol sponsorship was an integral part of the sporting experience and it added to the event, found that in Australia 15% of all alcohol commercials and 20% of beer commercials on television linked alcohol to sports. In fact the same study revealed that: “82% of participants agreed that alcohol consumption was part of the atmosphere of the events” (Royal College of Physicians of Ireland 2014, p.5). This finding led to the inclusion of the question for Noel Mooney on whether he felt that the FAI having an official beer was placing an expectation on fans to drink as part of the match-day experience, whether that be in person or watching on television. When it came to whittling down options for what type of interviews to conduct, there were plentiful options from which to choose. The most basic form encountered was the Informal Conversational Interview. Turner elaborates on its free-flowing, improvisational approach, ‘With the informal conversational approach, the researcher does not ask any specific types of questions, but rather relies on the interaction with the participants to guide the interview process' (Turner 2010, p.755). This would not be suitable as interviewee's time is limited and the goal here is to extract as much information and opinion from them as possible rather than taking the risk of wasting it by letting the interview aimlessly slip by, relying on luck rather than structure to unearth quality content. This school of thought is nothing new when Turner concedes, ‘many researchers view this type of interview as unstable or unreliable because of the inconsistency in the interview question' (Turner 2010, p.755). On the other extreme are standardized open-ended interviews. Turner explains that these are considered ‘extremely structured in terms of the wording of the questions. Participants are always asked identical questions, but the questions are worded so that responses are open-ended' (Turner 2010, p.756) . Although a very fair way of interviewing multiple people from opposing sides of the argument, the problem with this one is that each side ought to be quizzed on differing matters. For example, someone from the FAI or GAA should be quizzed over their institution's varying ties to alcohol. Meanwhile, someone from Alcohol Action Ireland should have to answer the counter argument from drink companies who say that their sponsorship is vital for grassroots sport in Ireland which can be a catalyst for keeping people healthier through regular exercise. For these reasons, the answer lay somewhere in the middle in the shape of the General Interview Guide Approach. Turner reflects on his own success with this method as, ‘This informal environment allowed me the opportunity to develop rapport with the participants so that I was able to ask follow-up or probing questions based on their responses to pre-constructed questions. I found this quite useful in my interviews because I could ask questions or change questions based on participant responses to previous questions' (Turner 2010, p.755). This aspect proved useful in the interview with Paul Mulligan as an additional question arose after the interview had initially ended. He explained his problem with banning alcohol advertising and sponsorship off the record and upon consenting to my request to go back on the record and repeat that answer, his reasoning was added. To go along with this, the main weakness typically associated with this method is, ‘The ways that questions are potentially worded depend upon the researcher who is conducting the interview. Therefore, one of the obvious issues with this type of interview is the lack of consistency in the way research questions are posed because researchers can interchange the way he or she poses them' (Turner 2010, p.755). However, since this is a study with one lone researcher, that will not be an issue. For these reasons, the General Interview Guide Approach was chosen as the best fit for this thesis. 3.6 The value of surveys This study has utilised quantitative surveys in order to further gauge the public's relationship with alcohol and sport. The difference between this and the content analysis, however, is that this facet of the study directly engages with the public. This goes in tandem with the content analysis which explores the dynamic between media and consumer from a distance, recording the number of alcohol advertisements and sponsorships that occur. Evidence shows that they work well as a pair since, ‘The survey identifies the extent of the problem, and the interviews can be used to give some of the detail, and the “story” of how user fees have affected people' (Bricki 2007 p.2). One facet of the surveys which some may view as a weakness is that they only contains questions which can only garner yes/no answers. One ought to recognise that there are proponents of surveys that go in depth with participants because, 'A quantitative survey can be designed to evaluate how people trade off the different solutions (e.g. by-pass vs traffic calming)' (Scarpa 2012, p.2). The reason this study is not electing to do so is largely down to practicality. In an ideal world, one would discuss in depth with every participant the arguments both for and against before ultimately asking them for their view. However, the reality is that, ‘The major drawbacks associated with qualitative cultural analysis are firstly, the process is time-consuming' (Choy 2014, p.102). Now while this is not an issue as a researcher who is devoting an entire summer to completing this thesis, one has to accept that potential survey participants are not going to be as passionate about spending a significant amount of time on it. This is accentuated on match-days when fans are under time pressure to get in to the stadium prior to the match starting. By only needing them to quickly answer either yes/no/I do not know, one can feel safe that they are not being inconvenienced too much. It also makes fans far more likely to agree to take part in the first place, knowing it will only take a few seconds out of their leisure time. It is also worth realising that there is a danger in getting bogged down in exhaustive surveys and confusing participants, ‘It is also important to avoid over-complex categorisations or making assumptions about likely attitudes or experiences based on survey responses' (Ritchie and Lewis 2003, p.91). By simply asking participants these short questions, these surveys will accurately discover these groups of fans' feelings on the matter. This is clearly a method that has been successfully used before since one can find researchers vouching for its effectiveness as, ‘researchers collect or analyse not only numerical data, which is customary for quantitative research, but also narrative data, which is the norm for qualitative research in order to address the research question(s) defined for a particular research study. As an example, in order to collect a mixture of data, researchers might distribute a survey that contains closed-ended questions to collect the numerical, or quantitative, data and conduct an interview using open-ended questions to collect the narrative, or qualitative, data' (Williams 2007, p.70). 3.7 Ethical considerations Ethical considerations have been made over the course of this study. Fortunately, due to the anonymous nature of the surveys there are no ethical implications to be wary of there. Indeed, the straightforward nature of the survey questions gives it a very basic format which is likely to put participants at ease. This is crucial as it is incumbent upon the researcher to demonstrate that no misrepresentation or manipulation of data has taken place since, ‘Integrity in reporting requires a demonstration that the explanations and conclusions presented are generated from, and grounded in, the data. Just as a survey researcher will use the tools of basic descriptive and interpretative statistics to present and explore their findings so a qualitative researcher should strike a balance between descriptive, explanatory and interpretative evidence' (Ritchie and Lewis 2003, 289). It is also critical that the thesis is clear in explaining how it came to its conclusions. This makes it more credible as, ‘It is also important to be transparent about the process of analysis and interpretation so that audiences can follow through the processes of thinking that have led to the conclusions' (Ritchie and Lewis 2003, 289). The interviewees meanwhile, are all experts in their fields and are likely to have participated in numerous of these kinds of debates before so their well-being should not be affected in any negative way. 3.8 Examples of combining methods The fact that combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews was not unprecedented was very reassuring. This is because it can seem like an odd pairing at first when initially considering the possibility of deploying them together. The testimony of Driscoll and colleagues from their experiences using them served as proof that this would work cohesively as in, 'the first phase, we collected survey data; in the second phase, in-depth interview data. The survey questions were entirely close-ended, and the response categories were developed in consultation with representatives of the various federal agencies. The subsequent in-depth, semistructured interview instruments consisted of individualized questions intended to explore particularly interesting or ambiguous survey responses as well as standard questions exploring general perspectives on the purpose and future utility of vaccine safety guidelines' (Driscoll, 2007 p.21). Similarly Smith wrote favourably upon reflecting on his use of both methods, ‘The results from these two methods (i.e., survey questionnaire and semi-structured, qualitative interview) should be considered not so much as confirmatory or divergent, but rather as complementary' (Smith, 2006 p.11). 3.9 Acknowledging critics One thing about this study that some people may point to as a supposed weakness is that there are not enough opinions featured throughout as only four interviews were conducted and only close ended questions asked in the surveys. Now while it is true that, ‘Sometimes restricted budgets or time scales lead to a choice of small-scale qualitative methodology when this is not suited to the type of information required' (Lewis and Ritchie 2003, p.34), that is not the case here. The interviewees all have outstanding credentials to speak about this topic. This has led to a study that is preoccupied with engaging with a select few, who each represents a unique faction or organisation involved in this issue while also engaging with the masses and recording how exposed they are to alcohol through televised sports in this country. Chapter IV - Findings 1. Euro 2016 4.1 Difference between advertising and sponsorship When analysing the extent of alcohol advertising and sponsorship in sport, one must first identify what the difference is between advertising and sponsorship. Sponsorship, 'is typically a stronger and more ongoing commitment between the sponsor and the program or event provider' while advertising is more fleeting. It is a, 'single message that's a part of an advertising campaign' (Kokemuller, 2016) . So in terms of documenting them, advertising is far easier to record as it has clear, defined start and end points. Throughout this study, it was very rare to come across an advert that lasted longer than 30 seconds. This meant the alcohol advertisements on offer were short pieces of evidence to analyse while sponsorship tended to be present throughout each match. It was also present to a much larger degree than advertising because of this. The recorded matches have been laid out below in chronological order. 4.2 Examples of alcohol sponsorship in the Ireland-France match The round of 16 match between Ireland and France on June 26 was broadcast on RTÉ 2 from 13:00 until 16:00. It was a key focus for this study as it was bound to be a huge draw for television viewers. This proved to be the case as it, 'peaked at 1.34 million viewers as the last-16 encounter drew to a close' (RTÉ.ie, 2016). The significance of this match was only further underlined when it was worked out that it averaged 1,262,200 viewers which was an 82.93% share of the Irish television audience that afternoon (Browne, 2016). Instances of alcohol sponsorship took place long before the match had even kicked off. The first occurrence happened in the very first minute of the broadcast as a clip of French manager Didier Deschamps being interviewed features him conducting it in front of a wall adorned with logos from the ten companies sponsoring the event on it. The logos are repeated in a pattern of five by three. One of those 10 sponsors is Carlsberg. Not only is it the sole alcohol company sponsoring it but it also has the further title of being the 'official beer of Euro 2016' (UEFA EURO 2016™, 2016). Throughout the interview, two examples of the Carlsberg logo are completely visible. Depending on Deschamps' movement, a third logo is partially visible at times too. The interview lasts only until the second minute, nonetheless, it sets the tone for the amount of alcohol sponsorship that will unfold over the entire 182 minute broadcast. The first example of sponsorship on a pitch takes place in the sixth minute as a clip from Ireland's previous match against Italy is shown. One of the electronic advertising hoardings that surrounds the pitch is taken up by the first half of their slogan as it reads, 'Probably' in their distinctive font and colour. After roughly 10 seconds the hoarding changes to reveal the second part of their slogan as it then states, '...the best in the world'. This double-pronged hoarding approach by Carlsberg is prominent throughout the match and indeed, all of the Euro 2016 matches that were studied as part of this thesis. It is a sponsorship strategy that is all-encompassing at times as often throughout these matches, every single hoarding bar one alongside the halfway line, will only feature Carlsberg. If anything though, that one hoarding that does not feature Carlsberg is just as helpful to their brand as the others because it always varies between showcasing 'UEFA EURO 2016' or the name of the host city for that particular match. In the case of Ireland versus France, it was 'LYON' that was intermittently shown with Carlsberg surrounding it. This lends a sizable associative quality to Carlsberg with this match and tournament. It lends Carlsberg a greater air of legitimacy. In total, during this broadcast there were 27 separate instances of alcohol sponsorship. Of the 27 sponsorship examples, 22 took place on the pitch while the match was ongoing and four of them happened during pre and post-match interviews. There was also one example from a clip on the pitch from a previous game. Every example of alcohol sponsorship during the match was from the electronic advertising hoardings that surround the pitch. Any instance of a fan being shown on camera drinking an alcoholic beverage was not considered for this study as it did not fit the criteria of being a deliberate, planned occurrence of alcohol advertising or sponsorship. When studying the hoardings and how they are utilised there are two clear categories. The first is when one half of the Carlsberg slogan, either 'Probablyór '...the best in the world', shows up alongside the other nine sponsors of the tournament. The other is when Carlsberg is the sole product on show in these hoardings with the exception of the two hoardings either side of the halfway line which contain either 'UEFA EURO 2016' or the name of the city hosting that particular match. In both scenarios the hoardings change over to the next message every nine seconds. It must be said that this is extremely eye-catching and often happens twice in the span of hoarding sponsorship example. It is safe to say that Carlsberg feature prominently throughout the match as the times it is visible on-screen are denoted in the table below. The first category where Carlsberg shares the hoardings with other sponsors is referred to as 'Single' for the manner in which the Carlsberg boards appear while the second group is referred to as 'Majorityás on those occasions, Carlsberg takes up the vast majority of visible hoardings. The 'S' in each sponsorship table denotes when the second half commenced. This is to avoid any confusion as sometimes additional time in the first half could lead to a situation where the clock said that over 45 minutes had elapsed and yet the match was still in the first half. Ireland versus France-examples of alcohol sponsorship during the match Category: From: Until: Single 00:00 00:22 Majority 00:53 02:04 Majority 02:29 02:37 Majority 07:34 08:15 Majority 13:10 13:40 Single 22:15 22:19 Majority 24:04 24:38 Single 24:56 25:01 Majority 29:39 30:00 Majority 35:30 35:33 Majority 41:09 41:20 Majority 41:24 41:37 Single (S)45:00 45:19 Single 45:20 45:30 Majority 46:05 46:26 Majority 52:00 52:14 Majority 62:39 62:41 Majority 68:38 28:59 Majority 74:02 74:32 Majority 79:37 80:01 Majority 85:40 86:02 Single 90:32 90:44 These twenty two examples of alcohol sponsorship while the match is ongoing highlight the degree to which it has seeped into sporting events themselves. Alcohol sponsorship is unavoidable even if the viewer is intent on not watching any advertisement breaks or pre or post-match coverage. This example and the ones to follow demonstrate that soccer in this tournament and alcohol go hand in hand together. For all of the complications that technological advances like on demand television and streaming sites have caused in fragmenting audiences, live sport is still a safe bet for masses of people to tune in and watch as borne out by the viewership figures for this match. One must also consider the mind set of fans on occasions such as these and how sponsors are trying to capitalise on that. Nielsen goes into detail here, ‘Sporting events are passion-driven environments, providing affiliated brands the opportunity to connect with consumers on a level often unobtainable in other contexts. Millions of fans engage with sporting moments every week, whether cheering on a local league from the sidelines or supporting national teams on the international stage. All are united by devotion, and utilising this emotional connection is a powerful driver of brand relevance, loyalty and consideration. Consequently, brands should seek to become much more than a name at the finish line or a logo emblazoned on a team jersey. Sponsorship strategies should result in experiences audience can enjoy, share and remember. Ultimately, brands must become the relevant link between the event and the sporting audience' (Nielsen, 2014 p.13). Carlsberg are seeking to capitalise on fans' more emotional state when they are watching their team. These tournaments are iconic and there is a very high chance that viewers will remember this tournament for years to come. By embedding themselves into these memorable events Carlsberg are sowing a seed that can grow for a long time in the memory of viewers. This is because, 'Sponsors want to affect consumer behaviour through forming a positive connection or a bond between the sponsor company and the sport fans that are already associated with a sport property such as a sport team, a sport organization or an athlete. A positive attitude is deemed as an important predictor of purchase intentions and in turn consumer purchase behaviour' (Demirel and Erdogmus, 2014 p.174). This study verified the premise of the calculated risk that is sports sponsorship as it concludes, ‘A model was developed and empirically tested and the results of the study suggest that sport consumers who have high level of team attachment and perceive sponsor and sponsee as a fitting combination are more likely to believe that motives of the sponsor are sincere, and thereby they will develop positive attitude and in turn greater purchase intention' (Demirel and Erdogmus, 2014 p.184). This is, in all likelihood, the real motivation for any company to sponsor such an event as opposed to the reasoning offered up by Carlsberg ‘The sponsorship of the UEFA's national team competitions provide us with a fantastic platform to raise further the international profile of the Carlsberg brand and its values. At the same time, the sponsorship gives us another opportunity to create unique experiences for fans of both football and Carlsberg' (UEFA EURO 2016™, 2016). Ultimately, it is difficult to quantify the effect of such sponsorship as, ‘Although spending on sponsorship is expected to increase more in the future and sport dominates the pie of sponsorship revenue, the relationship between sponsorship and purchase intentions of consumers is still vague and needs elaborate research' (Demirel and Erdogmus, 2014 p.173). However, there is a clear intention to link sport and their brand among sponsors. As well as the attachment to potentially iconic moments this is also because, ‘Sports is associated with a healthy lifestyle; this association can be good for the sponsor' (Ibrahim, 2014 p.76). In modern times sponsors have to live with the reality that, ‘The main motivation of a sponsorship evaluation is to measure ROI to determine if the return on their investment was worth it (Ibrahim, 2014 p.77). Sponsorship traditionally placed much emphasis on ‘visibility' measurements; however, standard measures of brand awareness, recall and recognition are borrowed from conventional advertising research. These measures may be insufficient to measure sponsorship effectiveness in the digital age' (Ibrahim, 2014 p.77). The ROI spoken of here is return on investment. 4.3 Alcohol advertisements in the Ireland-France match The key thing to note with alcohol advertisements in this tournament is that because of Carlsberg's status as the official beer of Euro 2016, they dominate the market though it is not quite a monopoly as occasionally another direct ad for an alcohol company crops up. It is also noticeable that Carlsberg tends to be the alcohol used in ads which indirectly include it as a secondary aid to whatever they are promoting. The initial ad break is comprised of six ads, none of which contain any alcohol. The second ad break though is made up of six ads, three of which indirectly promote alcohol. The opening one is for Lidl. It describes some of the discounts available in store by showing all of these goods in a packed shopping trolley. Amongst all of these products, one can clearly make out two wine bottles. Now while neither has any visible packaging which might breach the agreement with Carlsberg in exchange for their sponsorship, the distinctive shape and size of a wine bottle leaves the audience in no doubt as to what it must contain. The next ad is the Paddy Power one about France again. The third and final example is to be found in the unlikely guise of the mobile phone provider 3. While a supermarket is at least somewhat related to alcohol since it stocks it, and gambling has often been grouped with drinking and smoking as the foremost vices in society, a connection between a mobile provider and alcohol does not appear to be likely. However, sporting events like this can act as a bridge of sorts as companies are keen to capitalise on such an event being extremely popular by linking their products in some way to it. 3 do this as their ad is centred on the journey Irish fans were making from home to France for these championships. It is a minute long in comparison to every other ad mentioned in this study, they are all thirty seconds. And this features two separate instances of people drinking. The first is part of the introductory phase of the ad which recaps the moment Ireland secured qualification. Among the settings for these scenes of celebration is a pub with a table right in the middle of both pub and television screen which has four drinks upon it. Two of them are clearly pints of beer while another is a full glass of red wine. The last glass does appear to be full of a fruit juice of some kind so it's arguable that it contains no alcohol. The ad progresses from there to show more fans revelling in the journey to France as a ferry, shown to be Irish Ferries from an establishing shot, showcases Jack Charlton, former Ireland manager, and a fan debating team tactics on another table. The close-up of the two demonstrates that the Irish fan, denoted by his Irish jersey, has a full pint beside him. There is also the song selectio citation: Whelan, Vincent (2016) An investigation into the extent of alcohol advertising and sponsorship in televised sport in Ireland and whether or not it should be banned. Masters thesis, Griffith College. document_url: http://go.griffith.ie/54/2/MAJ_2016_V_Whelan.pdf