Alcohol marketers “responsibility” advertisements comprised less than 3% of the nearly 1.5 million alcohol industry television advertisements that aired from 2001 to 2005, according to a new study released last week by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University.
The study also analyzed spending and found that of the $4.9 billion spent to advertise alcohol on television from 2001 to 2005, just 2% (or $104 million) was spent to air 41,333 “responsibility” advertisements, CAMY said.
Underage youths were also found to be 239 times more likely to see an advertisement selling alcohol than one of the industry’s responsibility ads, designed to educate about the dangers of underage drinking.
“The primary messages kids get about alcohol on television are from alcohol product ads that not surprisingly promote their use and enjoyment,” said David Jernigan, CAMY executive director, in a statement. “To look just to the industry for messages on responsibility is clearly not smart public policy.”
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said that responsibility ads are only one component in the industry’s efforts to fight underage drinking.
“The distillers’ responsibility initiatives include the development and distribution of effective underage drinking programs; lobbying for tough underage drinking legislation at the federal and state levels; and supporting and partnering with government and other interested stakeholders in evidenced-based initiatives to fight underage drinking,” the council said in a statement released in response to the CAMY report.
The council also called on CAMY to use its resources to join these partnerships efforts to fight underage drinking.
The study also found that:
- In 2001, youth ages 12 to 20 who saw alcohol advertising on television viewed an average of 217 alcohol product advertisements and 11 “responsibility” advertisements. By 2005, they saw an average of 309 alcohol product advertisements and 21 “responsibility” advertisements.
- Only eight of 109 alcohol companies that bought television advertising time ran “responsibility” ads on television from 2001 to 2005 (and 6 of 56 in 2005). All the other companies ran product advertisements only.
- More alcohol brands aired “responsibility” advertisements in 2005 than in any prior year. Of the 174 brands that placed product advertising on television in 2005 at a total cost of $1 billion, 19 brands sponsored “responsibility” advertisements on television at a total cost of $28 million.
Spending varied widely among companies who ran responsibility ads. Of the eight companies that ran the ads, Diageo invested the most over the 2001-2005 period, both in terms of dollars spent (nearly $66 million) and percentage of advertising dollars (18% over the five-year period). Over the same period, Anheuser-Busch spent the second largest dollar amount (almost $20 million) on “responsibility” ads. This constituted about 1% of A-B’s television advertising budget for the period.
“Our findings clearly show that the alcohol industry’s efforts to fight underage drinking through television advertising are never going to match its product advertising,” said Jernigan said. “We need a substantial national commitment if we expect our children to get a balanced message from television.”
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