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Preventive Action Alliance
Alcohol Ads
Increasingly Target Youth
In prevention, we talk a lot about the advertising practices of
companies that sell addictive products. And for good reason, as alcohol
and tobacco companies have used ads to encourage young people to
experiment with and ultimately get addicted to those products.
But what does it mean, exactly, to target youth?
In Lockyer v. Reynolds, a court determined that "targeting" occurred
when R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company placed ads that didn't
substantially differ in how many young people it exposed, per capita,
as compared to of-age people.
Research published in the Journal of Public Health Policy in 2014
tested whether alcohol ads on TV target young people. They used gross
ratings points, the same measurement advertisers use to measure per
capita media exposure, to see which age groups were most likely to see
alcohol ads.
Here are some key highlights of their research, which measured ads from
2005 to 2011:
Exposure to alcohol ads has been increasing, disproportionately
targeting the 18–20 year old range.
Someone 18–20 was about as likely as someone 35 and up to see an ad for
distilled spirits.
Someone 18–20 was about as likely or more likely than someone 35 and up
to see an ad for alcopops.
Jose Cuervo Tequilas had been targeting youth aged 18–20 for 6 of the 7
years tested. Mikes, Miller Lite, and Malibu Rums had been targeting
the same age of youth for 5 years.
Limiting the exposure to underage youth would result in no change to
exposure to of-age adults.
Clearly, youth are being exposed, either intentionally or indirectly,
to alcohol ads. In turn, that exposure encourages heavier drinking at a
younger age.
It's up to us to encourage responsible alcohol advertising practices in
our communities.
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