1. Module 10- Restrictions on alcohol marketing
Part One- Alcohol Policy and Public Health
The extent and the nature of alcohol marketing has changed globally in the last decade, and the research has also expanded considerably to better understand its effects. Alcohol brands and products are advertised through television, radio, print, point-of-sale promotions, and the Internet. In addition to traditional forms of advertising, alcohol is now promoted through event sponsorship and product placements in movie films. Strategies for the regulation of such advertising are discussed further in this module.
Module 10- Restrictions on alcohol marketing
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2. Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this module you will have an understanding of:
Policies that control marketing and sponsorship of alcohol
Upon completion of this module you will have an understanding of the different policies that control marketing and sponsorship of alcohol.
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3. Regulating Alcohol Promotion
The marketing of alcohol is a global industry
Alcohol brands advertised through television, radio, print, point-of-sale promotions, the Internet
Strong evidence of effect of exposure to alcohol marketing on younger people:
Reduces age at which drinking starts
Increases the amounts drunk by young people
The marketing of alcohol is a global industry. Alcohol brands are advertised through television, radio, print, point-of-sale promotions, and the Internet. Exposure to repeated high-level alcohol promotion can establish pro-drinking attitudes. The evidence suggests that exposure of young people to alcohol marketing speeds up the onset of drinking and increases the amount consumed by those already drinking. Alcohol advertising predisposes minors to drinking well before legal age of purchase and reinforces the perception that drinking is positive, glamorous, and relatively risk-free. The extent and breadth of research available is considerable, utilises a range of methodologies and is consistent in showing effects with young people. Marketing to young people undoubtedly contributes to the on-going recruitment of young people to replace drinkers lost to the industry by attrition in mature markets and to expand the drinking population in emerging markets. Another problem related to alcohol consumption during adolescence is the increased risk to develop an alcohol use disorder will develop later in life.
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4. Assumptions Behind Alcohol Marketing Regulation
POLICY
ASSUMPTION
Regulating alcohol advertising and other marketing
Reducing exposure to marketing that normalizes drinking and links it with social aspirations will slow recruitment of young drinkers and reduce heavier drinking
Social modeling of excessive drinking contributes to underage drinking problems
There are two general assumptions behind efforts to regulate alcohol marketing from a public health perspective. First, because marketing is known to make drinking appear to be normal and associates drinking with young people’s social aspirations, reducing exposure to marketing is expected to slow recruitment of young drinkers and reduce heavier drinking. A second assumption behind marketing controls is that social modeling of excessive drinking contributes to underage drinking problems. By showing attractive role models engaged in drinking, young people learn that drinking is a desirable part of social life. By controlling the extent to which these attractive role models are shown to children and young adults, marketing regulations should reduce the amount of drinking that occurs prior to adulthood.
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5. Policy Options No regulation Industry self-regulation
Combined regulation
Partial bans
Total bans
Legislated restrictions on alcohol advertising are common, although few countries prohibit all forms of alcohol advertising. Nearly a third of non-Muslim WHO member countries have implemented partial restrictions, either by and/or by beverage type. For example, many bans apply only to spirits, to certain hours of television broadcasting, or to state-owned media. They have covered only the measured media, which represents only about half of the marketing currently in force. These bans often operate alongside codes of industry self-regulation that specify the content of permitted forms of alcohol advertising. Research suggests that such restrictions do not have a major effect on drinking but countries with the greatest restrictions on advertising tend to have less drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems. Around 15% of countries rely on industry voluntary codes alone, and a significant number of countries have no policy or code in place. Industry voluntary codes focus mainly on the content of alcohol advertisements, whereas legislation by governments typically aims to reduce the amount of alcohol advertising to which the public, and particularly children and young people, are exposed. Despite industry claims that they adhere to codes of responsible advertising, the detrimental influences of marketing practices are not adequately addressed by industry self-regulation. Self-regulation tends to be fragile and largely ineffective, in part because it is restricted to traditional forms of advertising. In Latin America, six countries report no controls on alcohol advertising and five others report minimal restrictions governing the marketing of alcohol on television, radio, print media, and billboards. Only two countries (Costa Rica and Venezuela) ban alcohol advertising entirely.
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6. Regulating Alcohol Promotion Industry Self-Regulation Codes
Voluntary restrictions on ad content and exposure markets
Complaints adjudicated by industry-appointed panels
Self-regulation codes are systematically violated by beer and spirits producers in terms of youth exposure, objectionable content, and complaint processing
Data from studies in Canada, the UK, Australia, Brazil, USA, the European Union and Ireland
Voluntary codes on alcohol advertising adopted by the advertising, media and alcohol industries typically address advertising content but not the amount of advertising or other forms of marketing. A number of the global corporations now have a company policy on responsible marketing, but much of the industry focus is on encouraging responsibility by the drinkers themselves, rather than controls on marketing, selling or the product itself. Codes of content are similar across the world, whether they are voluntary on the part of the industry or set by regulation. They commonly include some or all of the following: must not be aimed at young people or depict young people in the advertisement; must not link consumption of alcohol to sexual or social success, to enhanced physical performance or to driving; must not make therapeutic claims for alcohol; must not encourage immoderate consumption or present abstinence in a negative light; must not portray intoxication and risky behaviour in conjunction with alcohol. Research has suggested that voluntary codes are subject to under-interpretation and under-enforcement, including a bias in favour of the corporations represented on the decision-making board. There are also documented cases of the instability of such voluntary codes in response to changing market conditions and trends towards the liberalisation of codes. These findings of poor compliance and inherent instability have been found to be characteristic of self-regulation in a range of industries. A recent analysis of self-regulation by the alcohol industry in concluded it was not an effective way to protect children from exposure to content that is highly appealing to children and young adults. Overall there is no evidence to support the effectiveness of industry self-regulatory codes, either as a means of limiting advertisements deemed unacceptable or as a way of limiting alcohol consumption.
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7. Prizes and Incentives Ecuador
Including prizes and other types of incentives on the label of alcoholic beverages is prohibited by law in some countries but not in others.
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8. Regulating Alcohol Promotion Industry Self-regulation Codes cont.
Policies regarding marketing tend to be fragile and largely ineffective
Policies to regulate alcohol marketing have better outcomes when there is no alcohol industry involvement
Few countries currently have all these components
Many countries rely on voluntary restraints by the industries involved (‘self-regulation’) and these have been shown to be fragile and susceptible to economic downturn (for abandonment, in the mid-1990s at a time of falling whisky sales, of the UK voluntary agreement not advertise dark spirits in broadcast media); they have also been used as a mechanism to head off legislative Action. Following the expansion of self-regulation in the 1980–90s, co-regulation has developed as response to the critiques of self-regulation.
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9. Responsible Alcohol Advertising Mexico
By suggesting that beer can be consumed prior to using a small craft on the open ocean, this ad may well represent a violation of the beer industry’s self-regulation code for responsible alcohol advertising.
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10. Controls to Reduce Exposure
Exposure restrictions:
Limit advertising to certain hours of the day
Forbid alcohol ads on programs likely to be watched by children
Despite these voluntary guidelines, children and adolescents are exposed to large amounts of alcohol marketing in countries without total bans
In some countries there are restrictions, typically by regulation, on exposure to alcohol marketing by media type, beverage type, time of broadcast or composition of media audiences (particularly relating to exposure of younger people). Most research has focused on exposure of young people to the measured media. This varies by country. In the United States young people aged 15 – 26 years on average reported seeing the equivalent of almost 360 ads a year, with the most on television. Media monitoring conducted by an independent organization indicated a rise in annual exposure among year olds from about 200 in 2001 to about 300 in In New Zealand levels were higher with year olds, who were exposed to about 500 TV ads in 2005, than with older teenagers.
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11. Restrictions on Marketing
Strategy or Intervention
Effectiveness
Supporting Research
Cross-National Testing
Legal restrictions on exposure
+/++
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Legal restrictions on content ?
Alcohol industry’s voluntary self-regulation codes
Research on alcohol marketing restrictions is challenging thus explaining the relative lack of good studies. The available research suggests that legal restrictions on exposure can have a modest impact on youth drinking. There has not been sufficient research on the impact of legal restrictions on the content of alcohol marketing. As for the industry’s self-regulation codes, research in several countries shows that they are ineffective in preventing young persons from exposure to alcohol marketing activities. Imposing total or partial bans on advertising produce, at best, small effects in the short run on overall consumption in a population, in part because producers and sellers can simply transfer their promotional spending into allowed marketing approaches. Unfortunately, the more comprehensive restrictions on exposure (e.g., in France) have not been evaluated.
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12. Model Policy: Loi Evin
Passed in 1985 but not defined and enforced until 1991
Definition of alcoholic drinks (1.2% ABV)
No advertising targeted at young people
No ads on TV or in movies
No sponsorship of cultural or sporting events
France’s legislation, the Loi Evin, is an often cited example of relatively comprehensive regulation of alcohol marketing, and one which has maintained political support over more than two decades. Following a period of unregulated marketing of alcohol in France a high level of community and medical concern led to the adoption of legislation to prohibit advertising on television, in cinemas and all sponsorship. The advertising which is allowed, in print media for adults, and on some radio channels and billboards, is restricted to information about the product such as where it was produced and its strength. One of the key elements of the Loi Evin (relevant to the need to control the current ongoing proliferation of marketing approaches) is that advertising of alcohol is prohibited in all media unless the law provides for an exemption; there is a complete ban on sponsorship and on advertising in many media, including TV and cinema. Such advertising regulation has been challenged. However, restrictions on alcohol advertising to meet public health goals have been upheld by the courts, although sometimes with some modification.
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13. Model Policy: Loi Evin cont.
Advertising permitted only in press for adults, on billboards, on radio
Messages and images refer only to the qualities of the product such as origin, composition, production, etc.
Health message included on each advertisement
Alcohol advertising in France under the law is permitted only in the press for adults, on billboards, and on radio. Messages and images should refer only to the qualities of the product such as origin, composition, and production. A health message must be included on each ad. A real change in alcohol advertising has been observed since The law has resulted in the language of advertising losing most of its seductive character. It is no longer allowed to depict drinkers and drinking environments. There has been a complete disappearance of the drinker from the images in favour of highlighting of the product itself.
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14. Summary
There has been a marked increase in alcohol marketing, especially in emerging markets.
There are unprecedented levels of exposure of young persons to sophisticated marketing.
Voluntary codes of content have been shown to be ineffective in a variety of countries.
Unlike tobacco, there is, as of yet, no international or regional agreement to restrict alcohol marketing.
There has been a marked increase in alcohol marketing using an expanding repertoire of media and communication technologies with considerable appeal and utility for young people. There are unprecedented levels of exposure to sophisticated marketing. Attempts to control the content of the marketing messages using voluntary codes of content have not decreased their appeal to young people sufficiently to reduce their impact.
The extent to which effective restrictions would reduce consumption and related harm in younger age groups must remain somewhat of an open question because there has not been enough research on the results of imposing a total or partial ban on alcohol marketing. The most probable scenario, based on the theoretical and empirical evidence available, is that extensive restriction of marketing would have an impact.
There is a continued expansion in extent and modes of marketing and increasing use of media that cross national boundaries in an internationally unregulated environment. Much marketing occurs in movies, television programmes and internet sites that transcend national boundaries. Unlike tobacco, there is, as yet, no international or regional agreement to restrict alcohol marketing. The evidence demonstrating the impact of current levels of marketing on the recruitment of heavier drinking young people suggests the need for urgent policy action. Such action would require establishing a regulatory framework incorporating monitoring and enforcement, independent of industry interests, which is able to cross national boundaries.
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15. REFLECTION Would you regulate alcohol marketing in your country? Why?
How?
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