MYTHS AND HALF-TRUTHS ABOUT ALCOHOL ADVERTISING
Or
WHAT THE LIQUOR INDUSTRY WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE

•  "Alcohol advertising does not lead to increased consumption."

Alcohol consumption in New Zealand has been has been declining slowly since it reached a peak in 1984. This small decline has continued since the introduction of alcohol advertising on TV and radio, except that in the last 3 years it has increased again.
Consumption is measured annually on a per capita basis for everyone over the age of 15.

It does not reflect increases in consumption within demographic age groups. There has been a doubling of drinking by teenagers on each drinking occasion since alcohol advertising was permitted in 1992. Older people are drinking less and younger people are drinking more.

•  "Only a small minority abuse alcohol. Advertising should not be restricted on their account."

The truth is that 50% of alcohol is drunk by 10% of the population. Every time a person binge drinks and gets drunk they abuse alcohol. At least a third of teenagers binge drink regularly. Nearly one in five New Zealanders experience an alcohol use disorder in their lifetime.

•  "Blaming alcohol advertising for abuse is simplistic".

We recognise that there are many reasons for alcohol abuse, and do not lay it solely at the doorstep of advertising. In a multifactorial situation it is difficult to tease out the strands of cause and effect.
On the other hand the purpose of advertising is to increase the uptake of the product, children and teenagers respond positively to many alcohol advertisements . Advertisements are placed mainly where they will be seen by young people, eg TV. Teenagers are abusing alcohol far more than non-advertised drugs. Alcohol dependent people report that advertisements cause cravings. The cessation of tobacco advertising produced a 6% to 7% drop in smoking.

•  "Pre-mixed ready-to-drink beverages are advertised least yet are increasingly drunk by teenagers."

Coloured sweet alcopops are designed to appeal to the young palate. Many have zany names and eye-catching packaging. They sell themselves with little need for advertising.

When Michael Erceg, importer of these drinks, died, a leading industry executive said "He rides on the coat tails of promotion done by big brewers. The work that DB or Lion does ...helps him promote his product without having to put any investment into it." (NZ Herald 12 Nov 2005)

•  "The purpose of advertising is only to increase brand share of the market."

The purpose of advertising is to increase sales by recruiting new users and retaining old ones, as well as increasing brand share. Why should the purpose of alcohol advertising be different from that for other products ? The same spurious claim was made for tobacco advertising.
The difference is that alcohol is an addictive substance, so the market is not limited, as for other products.
If advertising was only to increase market share why would a whopping $35 million annually be spent on it, and a further $35 million on sponsorship ? Also why would the Beer, Wine and Spirits Council, which promotes alcohol in general, be concerned about it?

•  "The under 25s are sophisticated, and impervious to advertising."

The young are sophisticated and media savvy, but they are also vulnerable. Alcohol advertisements play into their insecurities about their sex appeal, ability to make friends, be amusing, successful and grown-up. They portray alcohol as the gateway to desired attributes.
Anyone in advertising knows that the goal is to catch 'em young. A major marketing conference in 1998 was entitled "Capturing Kids".
Placement of advertisements where they will be seen by young people denies the above statement.

•  "Youngsters most want what is out of reach."

There is no doubt about this. Alcohol advertising heightens the desire for the supposedly out of reach product. Young people want to be grown up and to have what adults enjoy. Alcohol advertisements play into these desires.

•  "There is a surge in the use of illicit drugs."

The use of illicit drugs, especially cannabis has increased. So has the use of alcohol by the young. It is still far and away the most popular drug with both young and old. The harm from alcohol far exceeds that of illicit drugs. Furthermore alcohol is often the gateway to the use of illicit drugs by young people.

•  "New Zealand has stringent alcohol advertising standards".

We have a voluntary code for advertising developed by the industry. It is frequently broken, in spirit if not in letter. Complaints are adjudicated by the Advertisers' Board which is biased towards their interpretation. There are no punishments for breaches of the codes. Advertisers are constantly "pushing the envelope" to attract attention to their advertisements while remaining within the letter of the codes.

•  "The number of complaints about alcohol advertisements has dropped."

The reason for this is more because of dissatisfaction with the complaints process than acceptance of the advertisements. Also, advertisers have become more clever at remaining within the codes or by-passing them completely..