Alcohol brands social media promotion Addictions France report, Digi Mart USA News (France): In a report published Thursday, the education, prevention and care association Addictions France criticizes in particular “interstitial” or “invasive” advertisements, which are paid content from brands that platforms insert into users’ news feeds.
According to the association, brands prioritize “immersion and interaction” to “maximize engagement without arousing suspicion,” using “mixology recipes, quizzes, polls, and viral contests that exploit the circle of friends.”
Of 20 brands observed on Meta platforms, BrewDog (beer) produced the most such advertising content, with 1,550 items observed over one year, compared with an average of 210 for the other brands. The liqueur Jägermeister followed with 655 items, and the wine Gérard Bertrand with 630 items.
Addictions France says these brand-inserted contents regularly exceed the limits imposed by the Evin law, which prohibits advertising that associates alcohol with celebration, conviviality or humor. Of 54 posts published on Meta platforms by the brands Label 5, Bavaria 8.6 and Jägermeister, half “go beyond the regulatory framework,” the association says, citing the presence of characters, celebrities, references to tattoo artists, contests, and incitement to interact with the community.
As in its previous report last year, Addictions France also points to brands’ campaigns targeting influencers. Brands have influencers publish, for free or for payment, “moments of life (parties, friendship, leisure, etc.), often in video format, in which the alcohol brand is visible in a more or less subtle way,” the association criticizes.
Among the leaders in this area is the elderflower liqueur Saint-Germain, identified in 87 posts by 35 different influencers. The association says these “commercial collaborations frequently generate thousands, or even tens of thousands, of reactions, comments and shares, demonstrating their ability to capture users’ attention and promote the memorization of advertising messages.”
Addictions France regularly brings legal proceedings against alcohol brands and influencers who take part in their campaigns. In 2025 it obtained the conviction of Heineken, which was fined two amounts of 50,000 euros by the Paris criminal court (the case is under appeal).
The influencers involved in the case were also sanctioned but exempted from penalty.
The association cannot pursue every violation it identifies, and it calls for a full ban on alcohol advertising on the internet, as already exists for television.
