The Effects of Alcohol Advertisements on Television Kristin Bowling

Presidents of the United States John Adams Andrew Jackson

Presidents of the United States James Garfield Abraham Lincoln

Alcohol Mascots Budweiser Frogs Bud Light’s Spud McKenzie

Alcohol Mascots Budweiser Clydesdale Horses Brilliant scientists for Guinness

Presidents vs. Alcohol Mascots It is statistically proven than more people can name these alcohol advertisements than can name the Presidents of the United States of America

Outline Why television alcohol advertisements are so significant in young adults Alcopops and their importance Alcohol leads to bigger problems in teens Effects that the television advertisements have on teens What we can do to help

“Research does indicate that alcohol advertising contributes to increases in consumption by young people and serves as a significant source of negative socialization for young people.” Lori Newman

Significance Alcohol abuse is a growing problem across the country, and if we as a country don’t start to censor television advertisements, it will start to get out of control. People are starting to drink at an earlier age. The average age when people begin to consume alcohol is 12. The reason this age is so low is because of the alcohol advertisements that teens are exposed to on television.

Alcohol Advertising Targets Youth Each year, alcohol companies spend nearly 6 billion dollars on television advertisements Much of these advertisements target young adults, which contributes to the increased substance abuse by minors because of the way they are portrayed

Alcopops Fruit Flavored alcoholic beverages that target the youth This was a way to get adolescents to consume alcohol that otherwise might have tasted unpleasant These drinks appeal more to adolescents than to adults, which alcohol companies claim they were intended for. Gateway drinks that lead to heavier, more harmful drinking

Impact of Alcopops Alcopops were glamorized on television commercials. 3 to 1, teenagers were more familiar with the types of alcopops than adults 41% of teenagers had tried alcopops 90% of teenagers agreed trying these drinks would lead them to try other alcoholic beverages Twice as many 14 to 16 year olds preferred them to beer or mixed drinks

Alcohol leads to bigger problems Young people who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times as likely to develop alcohol dependency compared to those who wait until 21 Ten million Americans between the ages of 12 and 20 consume alcohol, and it kills more teenagers than all the illegal drugs combined.

Why is this such a problem? Media Portrays alcohol as: Sexy Cool Grown-up Celebrities contribute Snoop Doggy Dogg Magic Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr. Most common source of information is TV: YouTube - Superbowl Commercials : Bud Light Spec

Television Commercials Target Youths Ads feature familiar characters to Children Spuds MacKenzie Figure for Anheuser-Busch Over 200 products Stuffed animals, dolls, t-shirts, posters Frog Trio for Budweiser Recognized by children as much as bugs bunny

Advertisements constantly increasing 298,054 alcohol ads ran on television in 2003 alone Distilled Spirit ads were at an all time high in 2003 as well with 33,126 The number of ads that “overexposing” under aged youth ages 12-20 was 69,054

Advertisements’ effect on youth A study done in 1997 analyzed the relationship between alcohol advertisements and car crashes The study showed that these two factors were definitely related By putting a ban on advertisements altogether, we would be able to save 5,000-10,000 lives per year

Advertisements’ effect on youth Another study was able to conclude that if we were to eliminate alcohol commercials we would decrease the number of underage drinkers. Binge Drinkers would drop from 12% to 7% Overall underaged drinking percentage would drop from 25% to 21%

What can we do? Putting a ban on television alcohol advertisements would ultimately save lives. By banning these advertisements young people no longer see alcohol as glamorous. The desire to have them would be gone.

What can we do? We must de-glamorize alcohol and let young adults know the real consequences of consumption. teen alcohol ad