Guest Blogger Melissa felt so strongly about this topic, she asked if Healthy Lombard would share this article byRaychelle Lohmann with our readers. I am happy to provide her with this opportunity. J
The advertising industry is incredibly adept when it comes to grabbing our attention for the few seconds it takes to create a lasting impression. And this is never more true than when we’re talking about alcohol advertising. Designed to capture attention with images of alcohol and drinking that look fun, exciting, and sophisticated, it’s a kind of advertising that sells an identity just as much as it sells products. Alcohol may be ostensibly marketed towards legal drinkers, but advertisers, by design, aren’t only targeting adults. In an effort to turn today’s youth into tomorrow’s adult drinkers, alcohol advertising is increasingly targeting young people; but what effect is it having?
Alcohol Marketing that Targets Young People
There’s no doubt that binge drinking—and drinking for the sole purposes of being intoxicated—has become normalized in Western culture, and one way in which this is happening is through the media and advertising. Combined with the fact that young people tend to be more susceptible to marketing and advertising than adults, and it seems a foregone conclusion that alcohol companies would focus their efforts on this particular age group. Through a variety of different means, these advertisers are finding ways to appeal specifically to the youth market.
One way that has worked with female drinkers as well as young drinkers in general, is the development of “alcopops,” sugary sweet pre-mixed alcoholic drinks that are palate-pleasing and easy to drink. Originally marketed primarily to women, they’re also increasingly popular with young drinkers, thanks to the high sugar levels that help to disguise the taste of the alcohol. Even pure spirits—vodka in particular—are now being produced in an ever-increasing array of pleasing flavors, including a dizzying array of fruity and dessert flavors: cinnamon churro, peppermint, pecan pie, iced cake, caramel, marshmallow, whipped cream, and caramel apple.
More importantly, alcohol companies have taken advantage of mass communication methods such as email, texting, and social media platforms like Facebook, all of which have become important influencers for young people in particular. All of these technologies are integral aspects of life for young people, which means they’re perfect vehicles for advertisers.
And, of course, there’s the old standby: TV, which young people are heavy consumers of. According to one study, 14 to 18 year olds watch around 20 hours of TV a week, which translates to a very large amount not only of direct advertising, but also of product placement and alcohol use in TV shows and films. Other studies have shown small but significant relationships between TV and alcohol consumption. For example, one study showed that high school boys who were heavy TV watchers drank more alcohol than boys who watched less TV; another found that the more TV people watch, the more likely they are to believe that people who drink are happy, and that sporting events require alcohol to be enjoyable.
How does Alcohol Marketing Really Affect Young People?
It’s difficult to say whether alcohol marketing and advertising really does cause young people to start drinking, or cause drinkers to consumer more alcohol. There are so many factors that contribute to people’s decisions to drink, and how much to drink, that it’s hard to pinpoint what effects one single factor is having.
However, it’s clear that young people make choices on what to drink based on advertising, and there are indications that these choices may also be related to how much alcohol they consume. An internet survey carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that around one-third of young drinkers choose specific brands based on marketing, or because they’ve seen these brands being consumed in media portrayals. In contrast, other young drinkers choose particular brands that are inexpensive, or that look palatable. More problematically, young drinkers who choose based on marketing are more likely than other young drinkers to engage in episodes of heavy drinking, and more likely to experience health consequences such as sustaining injuries while drinking.
Many public health groups, including the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth and the National Research Council, have called on the alcohol industry to tighten up its standards when it comes to targeting advertising to young people, and this particular survey does seem to provide good evidence that such a move is necessary.
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