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Tag: Alcohol Advertising

  • List of Shame Targets Irresponsible Alcohol Advertisers

    http://media.smh.com.au/news/national-news/top-10-irresponsible-alcohol-ads-4481066.html

    Alcohol advertising in Australia is self-regulated by the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code Scheme at the moment. This is a voluntary scheme administered primarily by alcohol industry and advertising representatives but that could all change if an independent review board gets its way. The Alcohol Advertising Review Board recently released its top 10 shameful alcohol advertisements which target children. Included in the top 10 irresponsible advertisements are the advertisements for Budweiser beer on a telephone box outside a school and a range of Jim Beam Racing children’s clothing which have all been included in the list. The review board is a joint initiative by the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth and the Cancer Council Western Australia. In the first year of its inception the board received 200 complaints. The board’s first annual report, launched on Tuesday, revealed that it fully upheld 104 of the complaints and partly upheld 32 – a shocking number of irresponsible advertisements encouraging young people to drink. The Australian Medical Association has also joined the review board in its calls for government regulation of the alcohol advertising industry.

    To read the list visit http://www.alcoholadreview.com.au/resources/AARB_Annual_Report_1213-FINAL-for-publication.pdf

  • Police Commissioner Calls for Ban on Alcohol Advertising

    There seems to be growing support for the banning of alcohol advertising during live sporting broadcasts in Western Australia.

    The Police Commissioner, Karl O’Callaghan has urged Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to consider banning alcohol advertising during live sporting broadcasts.

    According to Abbott, alcohol advertisements are just as damaging to children as gambling advertisements and betting odds promoted during live sporting events. He is particularly concerned about the impact that alcohol advertisements will have on children who watch AFL, NRL and other popular sporting codes in Oz. He has often in the past condemned the alcohol industry’s campaigns which he believes target youngsters with their themes and appeal.

    This post on TheAustralian.com.au explains:

    Earlier this week, the federal Liberal leader said if he wins government in September he will scrap live betting odds from sports broadcasts unless the television industry takes action first.

    Today, WA’s top cop called on Mr Abbott to also consider alcohol ads in his prohibition, saying children tuning into AFL, NRL and other sporting codes were just as likely to be influenced by ads for beer as betting.

    “He thinks that is a loophole and that it means they (bookmakers) can advertise during G-rated programs for kids – the same actually applies to alcohol,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

    “It is the only time when someone can advertise alcohol at a time of day when kids could be watching.

    “My message to him is to have a look at both things. You have got an opportunity, so do it properly.”

    The WA commissioner has been a vocal critic of alcohol advertisers, regularly issuing official complaints through the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) scheme, while labelling some advertisers “cunning” and “unethical”.

    He also put his case to police commissioners of every other state at a national meeting in April.

    Mr Abbott said he was ready to put the television industry “on notice” to clamp down on broadcasting live betting odds during sports coverage or face a legislated ban.

    Read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/call-for-ban-on-alcohol-ads-in-sport/story-e6frg996-1226638671649

    It seems the police commissioner’s concerns may be warranted as statistics show Aussie youth are drinking from a younger age than they did a few years ago and more teen are engaging in binge drinking than ever before.

    While on this topic one cannot help but recall a recent article in which we discussed a study which provided evidence that young people are encouraged to start drinking by alcohol advertising. The group expressed fears that alcohol advertising and marketing messages are portraying the wrong message to the youth, that alcohol is the way to happiness and success.

    The study for the European Commission found that children in the UK are more exposed to alcohol marketing than even adults are, with 10 to 15-year-olds seeing 10% more alcohol advertising on television than their parents do and 50% more ads for pre-mixed drinks. Perhaps even more concerning is the advertising of alcohol products on social media, which is mostly frequented by young people.

    Debates such as this one highlight even more the need for the enforcement of Responsible Service of Alcohol. It is RSA staff’s responsibility to ensure that people under the age of 18 do not get their hands on alcohol in licenced venues. It is important to ask anyone who looks young for an ID and refuse them alcohol if they cannot provide it.

     

  • Report claim Advertisers Exploit Broadcasting Loophole

    According to a report on ABC.net.au, health groups say a new report analysing alcohol advertising during the finals series of the AFL and NRL revealed thatthere are an alarming number of instances where advertisers exploit a loophole in broadcast regulations.

    Not long ago a Sydney hospital expressed its concern over the number of patients with alcohol related issues taking up hospital beds and medical attention which they believed called for radical steps including addressing loopholes in broadcasting regulations which allowed alcohol advertisements during the biggest matches.

    Even Police Commissioner Karl O’Collaghan has expressed his concerns about the increase in alcohol marketing specifically targeting young people and children.

    The analysis done has proven that the public are inundated with alcohol advertising, especially during sporting events. The main concern is the exposure that young children and teenagers are getting to alcohol messages which according to experts in the report, contribute to adopting drinking earlier in life and can contribute to problem drinking.

    Although there is a lot of support for closing this loophole to ban alcohol advertising especially during sporting events, some argue that alcohol advertising is not causing alcohol related problems, people are. This is evident by the fact that the overall amount of alcohol consumed in Oz has decreased.

    Watch this video from ABC which explains allegations that advertisers are taking advantage of a loophole in regulations:

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-27/alcohol-advertisements-exploit-boradcast-loophole/4655064

     

  • Alcohol Advertising Targeting Children According to Study

    The damage that alcohol can do young people is a topic that is particularly relevant to workers in the RSA industry because they play such an important role in making sure minors don’t get their hands on alcohol.

    Anyone whose work involves selling or serving alcohol to the public, need to consider the negative effects of alcohol on teenagers and the legal consequences of serving minors. Anyone in a position to serve alcohol to underage minors needs to be aware of the consequences of their actions, which can be detrimental to young person because it may instil in them a drinking problem later in life.

    Studies have already proven that the younger a person starts drinking, the more likely they are to binge drink at a later stage in life. Now a new study in the UK has confirmed what many have suspected even here in Oz, that children are more exposed to alcohol advertising than their parents.

    Although the study was arranged by the European Commission and surveyed children in the UK, similarities can be drawn to Oz. Even here alcohol advertising has been criticised as targeting children with its themes and timeslots, especially during big sporting events.

    Another interesting finding by the report was that social media advertising of alcohol is on the rise which may have a greater impact on young people as they are the ones who predominantly use social media.

    According to the New Zealand based Alcohol Action group alcohol advertising encourages young people to start drinking and for those that are already alcohol consumers, marketing encourages them to drink more. The group are afraid that these advertising and marketing messages are saying to youth that alcohol is the way to happiness and success.

    Read about the study below, the post was taken from Tvnz.co.nz:

    Youths are more exposed to alcohol advertisements than their parents, according to a new study.

    A new study for the European Commission found that children in the UK are more exposed to alcohol marketing than adults are, with 10 to 15-year-olds seeing 10% more alcohol advertising on television than their parents do, and 50% more ads for pre-mixed drinks.

    The report also warned of the expansion of alcohol marketing on social media like Twitter and Facebook, which many young people use.

    Alcohol Action New Zealand says alcohol marketing increases the likelihood that teenagers will start drinking and encourages those who already drink to consume more.

    It said in a statement that alcohol advertising helps to maintain the country’s “damaging drinking culture through influencing the population, especially the next generation, to believe that drinking alcohol is the path to happiness and success”.

    http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/kids-see-more-alcohol-marketing-than-adults-study-5360443

    The consequences of underage drinking go beyond the physical impact that alcohol has on the developing body of a teen, but it also affects the choices they make, which often can impact their entire lives.

    The Responsible Service of Alcohol regulations dictate that any person who looks young must be asked for their ID by alcohol servers, especially people who appear under the age of 25. Serving alcohol to minors can result in a fine for the server, the venue and even the young person, so be sure that you aren’t contributing to the problem by asking young people for an ID and ensuring that they are over the legal drinking age.

     

  • Responsible Service of Alcohol Update: New Zealand Tightens Alcohol Advertising Laws

    With alcohol advertising on the agenda in Oz recently it is interesting to see that New Zealand has altered its alcohol advertising laws. Alcohol advertising and promotion may no longer carry any environmental benefits of drinking and any ambiguous messages will no longer be allowed in NZ.The changes will come into effect as of January 2013.

    At the centre of the debate in Oz are questions about the effect of alcohol advertising on children in particular. Research shows that alcohol advertising and marketing messages are getting through to children and young people well below the legal drinking age. This is promoting underage drinking and the negative consequences that it brings. These advertisements and marketing strategies are making children and minors more accepting of alcohol and about the positive expectations about alcohol’s effects.

    Because of the damaging physical and psychological effects of alcohol they should be educated about its effects and not numbed to the consequences of binge drinking. Not only does it hamper their growth and affect their fragile emotional states but also hinders their psychological development, as many studies have proven.  Perhaps New Zealand’s example is one to be followed, if not entirely but at least in part.