Alcohol Ads Target The Youth

Kids

oi-Staff

Monday, December 7, 2009, 16:57

Alcoholic beverages popular among youths pull more advertisement in magazines. The alcohol companies are targeting the youths through magazine advertisements. This is leading to a higher exposure of alcohol among youngsters.

Three major trade associations representing the alcoholic beverage industry; the Wine Institute, the Beer Institute and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States have publicly stated that they can not advertise to under aged youths.

There is a growing concern about the fact that these companies, despite their statements, are targeting the youths.

The magazines with the highest levels of youth readership advertise more of the youth alcoholic beverage types like premium beer, low calorie beer, rum, vodka, and flavoured alcohol beverages that the non youth types like gin, brandy, whiskey and scotch.

With an increase of the youth readership of a magazine, the number of advertisements of youth alcoholic beverages also increases. While 23.1 per cent of advertisements for adult alcoholic beverages appear in magazines, 42.9 per cent of advertisements in the same magazine target the youth.