Alcohol advertising
[1] In 2011 a study found that twenty-two percent of twelfth graders had binge drunk in the past two weeks,[10] this figure doubled for young people in college.
Alcohol advertisements can be commonly seen in virtually any medium, they are especially known for sponsoring sporting events, concerts, magazines, and they are widely found on the internet.
A study done by the American Journal of Public Health concluded that Boston train passengers between the ages of 11 and 18 saw an alcohol-related advertisement every day.
They found that these youth saw the purpose of beer commercials is to urge people to buy the product based on not only its quality, but also on "its relationship to sexual attractiveness".
[21] Research clearly indicates that, in addition to parents and peers, alcohol advertising and marketing significantly affect youth decisions to drink.
"While many factors may influence an underage person's drinking decisions, including among other things parents, peers and the media, there is reason to believe that advertising also plays a role."
(Federal Trade Commission, Self-Regulation in the Alcohol Industry, 1999) Parents and peers substantially affect youth decisions to drink.
However, research clearly indicates that alcohol advertising and marketing also have a significant effect by influencing youth and adult expectations and attitudes, and helping to create an environment that promotes underage drinking.
Critics have objected to ads targeting this segment of the population, which has disproportionately high rates of alcohol-related illness and poor access to medical care.
[26] Some countries, such as France, Norway, Russia,[27] Ukraine,[28] Myanmar, Sri Lanka,[29] Kenya and Kazakhstan have banned all alcohol advertising on television and billboard.
[31] Alcohol advertising's creative messages should not be designed to appeal to people under the age of 21, for example, using cartoon characters as spokespeople is discouraged.
Surgeon General Antonia Novello criticized alcoholic beverage companies for "unabashedly targeting teenagers" with "sexual imagery, cartoons, and rock and rap music" in television and print ads.
[32]: 113–5 In Rubin v. Coors Brewing Co. (1995), the Court unanimously struck down a federal regulation prohibiting the display of alcohol content on beer labels.
The Court provided even more protection to alcohol advertising and amplified the Central Hudson test in 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island (1996).
Supermarkets and hypermarkets have also been criticized for advertising alcohol products on trolleys, which is controversial because Islam is the state religion of the country.
[citation needed] After the ban of alcohol advertising on Malaysian radio and televisions, they continued to build the brands with sponsorships of concerts and entertainment events.
[citation needed] In Singapore, alcohol advertisement is not allowed to be shown during programmes intended for children and young persons.
These rules were introduced into the law 2010[44] based on the provisions of an EU directive, [citation needed] provisionally applied by Swedish newspapers since 2005.
[49] Many alcohol companies create campaigns to raise awareness and/or funds for a particular charity (typically through the use of a "ribbon" symbol associated with a specific condition).
[53] It has been found that even low levels of alcohol consumption (1 drink per day) increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
[56] Due to this clear association, pinkwashed alcohol advertising has been criticized for promoting consumption of a product that contributes to the problem.
[citation needed] The Century Council, financially supported by a group of alcoholic beverage distillers in the United States, says it promotes responsible decision-making regarding drinking or non-drinking and works to reduce all forms of irresponsible consumption.
For example, the primary club competition in European rugby union, the Heineken Champions Cup, is called the H Cup in France because of that country's restrictions on alcohol advertising,[67] while the Guinness Six Nations Championship is similarly branded as "Six Nations Greatness" (with "greatness" formatted in the same typeface and colour as the Guinness logo).
Budweiser, the best-known Anheuser-Busch brand, has sponsored IndyCar drivers such as Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal and Paul Tracy, as well as NASCAR Cup drivers such as Terry Labonte, Neil Bonnett, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and currently Kevin Harvick.
Meanwhile, Miller has sponsored Al Unser, Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Rusty Wallace, Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski.
For Jack Daniel's, the theme is "Pace Yourself, Drink Responsibly", and includes on NASCAR's Web site a waving yellow flag warning drinkers.
A few companies, however, have added responsible drinking campaigns with their sponsorship, notably the 1989–90 BTCC Ford Sierra RS500 of Tim Harvey and Laurence Bristow, which was sponsored by Labatt.
The 2005 Ashes, for example, featured sponsorship hoardings by brands such as Red Stripe, Thwaites Lancaster Bomber and Wolf Blass wines.
In nations like India and Sri Lanka where alcoholic advertising is generally prohibited, those regulations are rounded with distillers offering clothing lines and sports equipment marked with one of their brands or separate soft drink or bottled water lines within tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and test matches, such as United Spirits Limited's McDowell's No.1 and Pernod Ricard's Royal Stag.
Today, Guinness' principal television campaign in North America consists of limited animation commercials featuring two eccentric scientists in 19th-century dress complimenting one another's ideas as "brilliant!
