Alcohol Advertising and Youth: A Measured Approach

Alcohol use in youth is a major health problem. It stunts sexual development and normal growth; brings on illnesses and hangovers; puts the youth at a higher risk for homicide and suicide; and brings about changes in the normal development of the brain that result in long-term effects. (Gilani, 2012) While many factors may influence an underage person's drinking decisions, including among other things parents, peers and the media, there is reason to believe that advertising also plays a role. (Federal Trade Commission, 1999)

The social problem in which researchers are investigating is the rise in the youth's alcohol usage due to advertisements. This research shows that advertisements are being placed in places where the youth are more likely to see them than those of the legal drinking age. In a way I would have to agree with this research. In fact, according to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) the alcohol industry spent nearly $5.5 billion between 2001 and 2003 for advertisements on television, the radio, and on print. Not to mention the advertisements spread throughout the worldwide web. But when it comes to the internet, adults over the age of 50 represent 29 percent of the estimated 163 million adults aged 18 and older who use the internet according to a 2005 Harris Poll. (O'Brien, 2012) My point being is that the number of adults over the age of 21 using the internet is growing rapidly and are becoming just as exposed to the alcohol advertisements via internet as the youth.

While this isn't the most updated research, it is fairly accurate according to statistics in 2005. Keep in mind that this research is to determine not only the youth's exposure to alcohol advertisements in general, but specific types of ads as well. "CAMY's analyses rely purely on statistical sources and measurement concepts standard to the advertising media planning and research field. These sources and measuring concepts are based on occurrence tracking and audience estimates. The audience estimates are determined by various survey methodologies. CAMY also employed a sampling strategy in order to analyze the airings of radio ads promoting alcohol." (Jernigan, Ostroff, & Ross, 2005)

The results to this research are rather impressive. "CAMY's research shows that the youth aged between 12 and 20 were exposed to 48% more beer ads, 20% more distilled spirit ads, 92% more ads for what is referred to as "alcopops" and 66% fewer wine ads than adults aged 21 and above in magazines." What these specific results tell me is that the youth's exposure to alcohol ads depends on the type of alcohol being advertised. And when it comes to televised ads, statistics show that "the youth under the legal drinking age were more likely than those of the legal drinking age to have seen nearly 24% of 761,347 televised alcohol ads." The way I see it is that