youth

Research has demonstrated that exposure to alcohol advertisements increases the likelihood, frequency and volume of alcohol consumption among youth. [1, 20] Alcohol advertisements also create false expectations about how alcohol will make people feel and be perceived by others [20]—advertisements promise what is important to young people: being happy, glamorous, successful, brave, mysterious, adventurous, fun, popular, sexy and hip. [15]

Young people are particularly susceptible to alcohol messages because they often lack the control, judgment and cognitive maturity to understand the sophisticated ways in which they are being manipulated by alcohol advertising. [1, 53] The evidence is strong: twelve studies, including over 35,000 people in several countries, all found a significant association between exposure to alcohol marketing among youth, some as young as 10 years old, and alcohol use. [53]

Alcohol advertisements are found where young people congregate: Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. [22] Furthermore, online regulation has not kept up with media consumption trends. Industry codes restrict alcohol advertising to young people, but they are enforceable only for traditional media. Trends show increases in digital and online marketing by the alcohol industry each year. [52]

Corporate Social Responsibility

Another creative marketing strategy employed by the alcohol industry is the corporate social responsibility (CSR), ranging from school-based “responsible drinking” programs for children to ride services for inebriated adults. These tactics have been found to have limited effectiveness for reducing alcohol harms [26, 55] but offer a very visible branding strategy. For example, Absolut Vodka used responsible drinking messages as a branding opportunity in its “Enjoy with Absolut responsibility” messaging [56]. The sincerity of these messages—e.g. Hennessy’s “Flaunt Responsibly”—has led researchers to characterize them as promotion strategies. [57]. “Drink responsibly” messages are also often placed at the bottom of the very ads that promise a long night of fun while consuming alcohol at a party, or other tempting appeals for young people.

Alcohol corporations also seek to partner with civil society to enhance their standing in the eyes of the public and policymakers. One example is the 2017 “Beers for Africa” campaign, which positioned alcohol as an aid against poverty. In a partnership between South African Breweries (SAB) and Stop Hunger Now SA, an international NGO, SAB promised that for every pack of beer sold, it would provide three students living in poverty with a meal [58]. Notably, after pushback from international public health advocates, the “Beers for Africa” campaign was terminated.

Another form of sponsorship or marketing the alcohol industry uses is known as “pink washing.” “Pink washing” uses the color pink on products, at events etc., in an attempt to appeal to women and/or show a company’s commitment to women’s issues. In the case of alcohol, the industry sponsors activities associated with breast cancer organizations and the search for a breast cancer cure. This practice is highly hypocritical, given the evidence linking alcohol consumption to an increased risk of breast cancer.[79]

It is crucial that governments, NGOs, academia and UN agencies acknowledge that the alcohol industry is proficient at creating halos around its brands. Activities to benefit development in one area can have ill-anticipated implications in others. Incompatible public-private partnerships, sponsorships and CSR “investments” often disguise tactics that discourage effective policy.

The alcohol industry’s marketing reach is expansive, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where advertising regulations may be limited or absent.

Globally, self-regulation is the most common method of regulation on alcohol promotion and sales, but voluntary codes have been shown to be of limited effectiveness.[7]

For instance, the industry has its own codes against marketing to youth, but alcohol advertisements often feature things youth are attracted to: cartoons, pop music, silly jokes, video games and flavors such as marshmallow or cotton candy.

 A review of over 100 studies of voluntary industry codes across 20 countries from Australia to Ghana found that the alcohol industry did not follow its own codes in its marketing and advertising. [23] One study found that during the 2014 World Cup Tournament in Brazil, one of the most popular sporting events in history, 86 percent of alcohol advertising contained at least one violation of an industry code, such as promoting excess alcohol consumption.[21]