New Study Says Alcohol Ads Should Be Banned from Sports Events

Marketing departments everywhere have long been tapping into our social media addictions and TV-watching habits to make us drink more Negronis, but now a new study has highlighted the effect this type of advertising can have on children and teenagers. And it doesn't look good.

Funded by Alcohol Research UK and the Institute of Alcohol Studies, the research links youth exposure to "extensive" alcohol marketing with underage drinking. It claims that current self-regulatory measures put in place by the booze industry on advertising are not effective enough.

In a review of more than 100 studies on the link between marketing and underage alcohol consumption, as well as the effectiveness of industry self-regulation programmes, the researchers concluded that the industry had failed to protect children from exposure to alcohol ads.

Publishing their findings today in the journal Addiction, the researchers called for alcohol advertising legislation to be approved by the Government, rather than the industry, as well as a restriction of booze ads on social media sites. The researchers also recommended phasing out alcohol brand sponsorship of sports and music events.

Many alcohol charities have welcomed this call for stricter alcohol advertising guidelines. In a statement to MUNCHIES, Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: "In the long run, all [alcohol] advertising and sponsorship should be prohibited. In the short term, alcohol advertising should only be permitted in newspapers and other adult press, and the content of these adverts should be limited to factual information about brand, provenance, and product strength."

But not everyone thinks such measures are necessary. Talking to MUNCHIES, a spokesperson for the Portman Group, which represents UK drinks producers and helps regulate marketing practices, said that a ban on alcohol advertising was not the right way to tackle underage drinking.

They said: "In the UK, marketing companies abide by strict codes of practice that prohibit marketing alcohol to children. Regardless of the rise in online marketing channels, official UK Government statistics show that underage drinking has fallen to the lowest levels ever recorded. Tackling underage drinking requires a combination of life skills education, strict enforcement on underage sales, and robust ID schemes—all of which are supported by drinks companies."

Last month saw the introduction of a ban on junk food ads that target kids. Could tougher restrictions on alcohol advertising be next?