B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • AFL
  • Federal Election
  • Pinterest
  • AI
  • NRL
  • News Corp
  • Cairns Hatchlings
  • Married At First Sight
  • Channel 10
  • WPP
  • Thinkerbell
  • oOh!Media
  • Anthony Albanese
  • ARN
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: “Shocking, Ill-Conceived Stunt!” Dry July Admonished For BWS Partnership
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Media > “Shocking, Ill-Conceived Stunt!” Dry July Admonished For BWS Partnership
Media

“Shocking, Ill-Conceived Stunt!” Dry July Admonished For BWS Partnership

Staff Writers
Published on: 26th June 2019 at 10:21 AM
Staff Writers
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

In what could be described as a case of putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank, annual sobriety charity, Dry July, has partnered with the Woolworths-owned liquor chain, BWS to help promote the event.

BWS plans to rebrand from “beer, wine and spirits” to “because we’re sober” for the month of July.

And the odd union has already been attacked by health groups as an “empty manipulative gesture” and a “shocking and ill-conceived sobriety stunt”.

Dry July is a non-profit organisation that calls on participants to forgo alcohol for the month of July while raising money for cancer charities.

CEO of Dry July, Brett Macdonald, hailed the partnership with BWS as “helping increase awareness of what we do, and raise even more important funds for cancer patients and their families and carers.”

However, the Foundation for Alcohol Research Education has called on Dry July to immediately terminate the partnership and “repel” the influence of the alcohol industry.

Its CEO, Michael Thord, said: “Unless every BWS outlet shuts up shop for the month, this stunt will do nothing to reduce alcohol harm.

“This is a cynical marketing exercise by BWS designed to push the Woolworths’ alcohol brand and normalise alcohol.

“Alcohol is a class one carcinogen. The alcohol in one bottle of wine has the equivalent cancer risk of smoking five cigarettes for men and 10 cigarettes for women.

“It is inappropriate to have one group that sells cancer-causing alcoholic beverages 365 days a year partnering with the other group that fundraises to support the victims of alcohol harm.

“To be raising money to help people suffering cancer in a way that causes more cancer cases in the future is completely futile,” Thorn said.

And it appears the issue has now gone global.

Professor Carol Emslie from Glasgow Caledonian University in the UK also lashed out at Dry July’s association with BWS.

Emslie started the prominent Don’t Pink My Drink campaign in protest of alcohol brands using cancer awareness to sell more booze despite being part of the problem.

“This partnership seems particularly bizarre. For years, the alcohol industry has promoted breast cancer awareness activities while selling products that are known to be carcinogenic in an attempt to extend their marketing reach to young women,” Professor Emslie said.

“This partnership seems to be a similarly cynical attempt to extend marketing reach by associating a large alcohol retailer with a well-known charitable cause.”

Commenting on the partnership with Dry July, BWS’ CEO, Guy Brent, added: “At BWS we like to do things differently.

“With over 8000 team members who are all passionate about the communities they serve, Dry July is about us coming together to raise funds for a very worthy cause.”

“There are 1340 BWS stores across Australia and more than 8000 team members. By encouraging our staff and customers to participate in Dry July and donate to the Foundation, we are hoping increasing funding to the charity, which raised more than $7.7 million last year.

“BWS believes in giving consumers choice, which is why in recent years it has increased its range of low and no alcohol drinks for those reducing their alcohol intake, taking part in Dry July, or choosing to abstain entirely.”

 

 

 

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: bws, Dry July, Woolworths
Share
Staff Writers
By Staff Writers
Follow:
Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Latest News

Bunnings stock photo
PHD Melbourne Nails Bunnings’ Media Account
23/05/2025
OMD’s DJ Sometimes Wholesome Wins Inaugural Club Unltd. Final
23/05/2025
TV Ratings (22/05/2025): Top Of The Table Dogs Toppled By The Dolphins In Treacherous Conditions
23/05/2025
Toothpaste Brand White Glo Admonished Over ‘Make The White Choice’ Ad
23/05/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?