“Be wildly responsible”: how alcohol brands use social media to promote responsible drinking among young consumers in the UK

Purpose This study aims to investigates how leading alcohol brands use visual and textual strategies on Instagram to promote responsible drinking among young consumers in the UK. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a netnographic research design, the study analyzes 669 Instagram posts from ten major alcohol brands. Using critical visual analysis and thematic coding, the research explores how brand imagery and messaging construct narratives around drinking, identity and responsibility. Findings The analysis reveals three dominant marketing approaches on Instagram. First, zero-alcohol campaigns use collective portraiture and health-associated visuals to frame alcohol-free products as socially desirable, although they rarely provide education on moderation. Second, responsible drinking messages appear in some campaigns – often through disclaimers or seasonal prompts – but are generally superficial, lacking interactivity or behavioral guidance. Third, standard alcohol promotions frequently center on themes of masculinity, emotional reward and social bonding, using lifestyle imagery to reinforce brand identity while omitting references to responsible consumption. Originality/value This study introduces a novel integration of corporate social responsibility and visual marketing in the context of youth alcohol consumption. It builds on existing models of brand responsibility and social influence by demonstrating how Instagram content can shape societal norms around drinking. The study also identifies gaps between the responsible messaging promoted by brands and the actual impact on consumer behavior, highlighting how these messages often fail to encourage consumer responsibilization.