Alcohol Advertising

If you frequently watch television, you have seen advertisements for alcohol. Have you ever wondered if these ads increase the number of people who will go on to abuse alcohol?

According to some sources, there is no correlation between the ads that we see on T.V. for beer, wine, and liquor and the rate of alcohol abuse in the United States.

The Federal Trade Commission conducted a study on the matter and found there is: "no reliable basis to conclude that alcohol advertising significantly affects consumption, let alone abuse."

There have been studies in Canada and the U.S. that found there is no significant connection between restrictions on alcohol advertising and alcohol consumption. These studies also showed that while alcohol advertising expenditures have increased, alcohol-related traffic fatalities have declined.

So why even bother to advertise?

People already understand what alcohol is and what it does. The objective of advertising is to get people who already consume alcohol to switch to their brand, and create brand loyalty.

There have been many sources that have reported that by the age of 18, the average teenager has seen over 100,000 beer commercials. However, to see that many commercials, you would have to watch T.V. for approximately 161,290 hours or 18.4 years. Therefore, you would have to start watching television 24 hours a day, every day, from birth until after your 18th birthday.

Did you know that you will see alcohol portrayed more often during television shows than during commercials? An analysis of prime time TV showed that alcohol commercials appeared at a rate of 0.2 per hour while alcohol portrayals during a show occurred 5 times per hour - 25 times more frequently.

Some critics of alcohol advertisements argue that these commercials "normalize" drinking in the minds of younger viewers. However, these ads cast alcohol as normal consumer product, such as soda and detergent. It is preferable to treat alcohol as neutral, not "good" or "bad." This way we can discourage irresponsible drinking rather than demonizing alcohol.

Studies have found that the greatest influence on beliefs, attitudes and behaviors pertaining to alcohol comes from parents. Approximately 60% of teenagers stated that parents affect their decision about drinking.

What has affected your decisions about whether to drink or not? Should alcohol ads be banned?