Although not all economic studies unanimously report a strong link between higher exposure to alcohol advertising and an increase in underage and excessive drinking, it is difficult to argue that advertising has no effect on consumption behavior. Since the product in question is alcohol, which has various cultural, social, and physiological connotations attached to it, the question of ethics in advertisement become more complex. This is where the debate over whether industry self-regulation is enough to create and uphold rigorous a code of ethics in advertising that is suitable for a given country becomes significant. In this policy brief, I will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of a self-regulatory system in advertising of alcohol,
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In their 2002 article Self-regulation of alcohol advertising: Is it working for Australia? Jones and Donovan look at nine alcohol advertisements that breach the code of ethics developed by Association of National Advertisers (AANA) and Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) on various grounds according to expert academics in the fields of advertising and marketing. However, none of these advertisements were ruled to have violated any ethical codes according to the Advertising Standards Board (ASB), an industry review organization. Moreover, Jones and Donovan discovered that individual consumers who deemed the ads inappropriate and contacted the ASB before submitting a written complaint received the copies of decisions records showing the rejection of all complaints related to those nine ads. This discourages consumers to lodge a complaint against the alcohol companies, brining into the question the efficacy of …show more content…
However, as we have seen that despite the establishment of standards and codes by various industry bodies, many aspects of advertising alcohol to the youth are left out. A more involved participation of the consumers and public agencies can threaten the industry to improve and follow the regulations. Firstly, it is crucial to ensure that regulatory bodies remain unbiased and independent of alcohol companies so that the standards set are actually followed. Frequently rotating individuals serving on the review boards can help minimize the possibility of nexus forming between the regulatory board and the industry. Secondly, the compliance standard should include the media that young people interact with the most. Countries like Norway and Switzerland have, therefore, banned alcohol advertisement through broadcast media. Moreover, the volume of ads catered towards the youth needs to be monitored. In a report by Jernigan (2005) it was found that young people, under the legal drinking age, have more ads reaching them (per capita) than the adult population. This shows the alcohol industry’s unequivocal targeting of young people to encourage them to consume alcohol, which
In their 2002 article Self-regulation of alcohol advertising: Is it working for Australia? Jones and Donovan look at nine alcohol advertisements that breach the code of ethics developed by Association of National Advertisers (AANA) and Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) on various grounds according to expert academics in the fields of advertising and marketing. However, none of these advertisements were ruled to have violated any ethical codes according to the Advertising Standards Board (ASB), an industry review organization. Moreover, Jones and Donovan discovered that individual consumers who deemed the ads inappropriate and contacted the ASB before submitting a written complaint received the copies of decisions records showing the rejection of all complaints related to those nine ads. This discourages consumers to lodge a complaint against the alcohol companies, brining into the question the efficacy of …show more content…
However, as we have seen that despite the establishment of standards and codes by various industry bodies, many aspects of advertising alcohol to the youth are left out. A more involved participation of the consumers and public agencies can threaten the industry to improve and follow the regulations. Firstly, it is crucial to ensure that regulatory bodies remain unbiased and independent of alcohol companies so that the standards set are actually followed. Frequently rotating individuals serving on the review boards can help minimize the possibility of nexus forming between the regulatory board and the industry. Secondly, the compliance standard should include the media that young people interact with the most. Countries like Norway and Switzerland have, therefore, banned alcohol advertisement through broadcast media. Moreover, the volume of ads catered towards the youth needs to be monitored. In a report by Jernigan (2005) it was found that young people, under the legal drinking age, have more ads reaching them (per capita) than the adult population. This shows the alcohol industry’s unequivocal targeting of young people to encourage them to consume alcohol, which