While Australian alcohol consumption continues to remain high by world standards (WHO, 2011), recent national statistics show a polarisation in drinking patterns. Australians overall are drinking less in 2010 as compared with 2007 and young Australians, particularly those under the legal drinking age, are choosing to delay onset of their first alcoholic beverage (AIHW, 2011a). Nonetheless, these positive trends are accompanied by continued high levels of sessional consumption. The number of Australians consuming alcohol in risky quantities has increased from 3.5 million in 2007 to 3.7 million in 2010, with one in three 18-29 year olds more likely than other age categories to drink at risky levels regularly (AIHW, 2011b). Male risky drinking outnumbers that of females (i.e.: more than 2 standard drinks a day), however risky drinking behaviour among young adult females is trending upwards (AIHW, 2011b). Consequently, alcohol consumption among Australians, particularly young adults, remains a key concern for public health, policy makers and researchers. Extant literature discusses the problematic associations of binge drinking, the normalised practises around heavy drinking, and the extent to which binge drinking is prioritised as a consumption experience among young adults (Hutton 2012; Lyons & Willott 2008; Szmigin et al., 2008). Less well understood within alcohol research are the contexts and consequences that influence young adult preferences for drinking responsibly. Critically, little attention has been directed towards understanding how individuals transition from risky drinking to responsible levels of consumption. Through the lens of social practice theory the objective of this case study is to leverage insight into approaches and practices consumers engage to co-create their own responsible drinking, and the role of the social collective in sustaining behaviour change practices. The context is Hello Sunday Morning (HSM). HSM is an online community space originating in Australia where individuals share, through blogging, their experiences of enacting behavioural change and responsibility for changing their own drinking behaviour.Griffith Business School, Department of MarketingNo Full Tex

In order for consumers to connect emotionally with brands, brands must be transformed from inanimate entities into the realm of acquiring human characteristics. Following a review of more than 1000 breweries from online sources and beer companion books, we explore how a sense of place, derived from myths, folklores, and heroes, enables marketers and consumers to co-create narratives that humanise brands. We add to the theory on brand humanisation as we conclude that a sense of place offers a novel, and different, approach to humanisation strategies based on anthropomorphisation, personification, and user imagery, but can also operate in tandem with them. Further research is recommended to understand how and why consumers respond to branding strategies that use a sense of place to humanise brands.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge associated with consumer socialisation. The authors investigate how children function as socialisation agents for their parents in influencing their purchase intentions of computer and high‐tech products – essentially the idea of the young educating the old.Design/methodology/approach: A review of the extant literature relating to consumer socialisation, social power and knowledge about computer related and small high‐tech products yielded meaningful hypotheses. A structured survey which was required to be completed by dyads (i.e. children and parents) was mailed to Australian families in the state of Victoria. Data obtained from 180 usable responses from the dyads were analysed to test the hypotheses.Findings: Children are seen to possess expert power over their parents with regards to computer related and small high‐tech products; which make them an important agent of secondary socialisation for their parents. Men are perceived as being more knowledgeable than women, a phenomenon which leads mothers to be more inclined to seek their children's (son's in particular) advice.Research limitations/implications: This study implies that when children are seen as experts by their parents, they become important agents of secondary socialisation. However, this only relates to the consumption of the product categories studied here. Future research needs to include other product categories in order to assess the validity of the measures.Practical implications: Marketers of computer related and small high‐tech products can benefit from the findings when promoting these products to children and parents.Originality/value: This research study is unique in Australia and possibly globally.

Purpose: This study explores digital risk perceptions – the perception of risk related to digital environments – among older adults. Specifically, it investigates how these risk perceptions influence older adults’ frequency of digital engagement in everyday activities. Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology involved conducting 22 interviews and administering 708 surveys among older adults living at home. The researchers examined how digital risk perceptions influenced older adults’ frequency of engagement in everyday digital activities. The study also explored the mediating role of digital risk perceptions in the relationship between older adults’ digital competencies and the frequency of everyday digital engagement. Findings: The study identified six distinct categories of digital risk perceptions among older adults. Furthermore, it found that older adults’ digital competencies significantly impacted the frequency of everyday digital engagement. However, certain digital risk perceptions, particularly those related to privacy and security concerns and concerns about financial impact, mediated the relationship between digital competencies and the frequency of everyday digital engagement. Older adults’ frequency of participating in digital activities was influenced by perceptions of risk, highlighting the complex interplay between digital competencies and digital risk perception in shaping older adults’ engagement with everyday digital activities. Originality/value: This study contributes to understanding older adults’ engagement in everyday digital activities by delineating six specific categories of digital risk perceptions. By identifying the mediating role of digital risk perceptions, particularly regarding privacy, security and financial concerns, the study sheds light on the nuanced factors influencing older adults’ willingness to participate digitally, which adds nuance and extends knowledge on digital and social inclusion among older adults.

This paper examines the influence of socialisation agents in shaping digital competence in older adults (aged 65+ years). Data was collected from the University of the Third Age (U3A) Network Victoria, a volunteer organisation that provides courses and programs for the retired and semi-retired community. We used a two-stage approach; focus groups as a sensitising tool, followed by 21 in-depth interviews. The research identifies three distinct consumer socialisation processes: reciprocity, self-socialisation and outsourcing, and details the central socialisation agents influencing these processes and how these processes influence learners to reach different socialisation outcomes. Overall, this study sheds light on the complex socialisation processes that influence how older adults become digitally competent and the barriers they face in this process, illuminating the need to address negative attitudes, improve access to devices and support older adults in maintaining their independence.

This paper investigates the influence young adult children living at home have over parents’ holiday decisions. “Consumer socialization agency” (CSA) was developed as a measure to capture the intercession or mediation one person accepts from another person about consumption issues. The analysis was conducted through a dyadic method, which involves collecting data from and analyzing data about pairs of people (dyads); in this case, parents and their children. CSA was related to family size and gender+ but more closely related to family communication style. Families fostering an open, issue-based communication style seem to have the highest likelihood of children socializing parents.