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CENTER FOR SCIENCE CSPI IN THE PUBLIC LNTEREST l'"''h"her4ir 1Vutrition Action Hecrlthletter ALCOHOL ADVERTISING FACTS Alcohol is America's number-one drug problem, responsible for over 105,000 deaths and approximately $100 billion in economic costs each year. Informational/educational efforts to counter the variety of problems associated with alcohol consumption have been minimal, given the scope of the problem. The Surgeon General advises Americans to "take alcohol only in moderation, if at all. Avoid drinking before or while driving, operating machinery, taking medications, or engaging in any other activity requiring judgments. Avoid drinking alcohol while pregnant." The United States Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines recommend no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two a day for men. These messages and other vital information about drinking are drowning in a sea of advertisements that encourage Americans to drink. Alcohol advertising glamorizes alcohol use and provides a one-sided view of drinking that fails to provide information about its risks. Americans are concerned about this unbalanced information about the country's leading drug and they overwhelmingingly support measures to supply consumers with more health information about alcohol. $2 Billion in Alcohol Advertising and Promotion a Year • In 1991, beer marketers spent over $740 million, liquor marketers over 5280 million, and wine marketers over $92 million advertising their products. • Brewers and beer distributors spend millions of dollars each year sponsoring youth-oriented college marketing campaigns. Sports events, rock concerts, and Spring Break promotions are just a few of the activities they fund. • In 1990, brewers spent an estimated $158 million for sponsorships of athletic, music, cultural, and other special events. The Alcohol Industry Targets Vulnerable Population Groups Alcohol producers sell the notion that drinking is an essential part of daily life and is inextricably linked to social, athletic, and sexual success. Ads emphasizing the normalcy of drinking in our society are carefully directed at various segments of the population. • Heavy Drinkers: Some advertisements are designed to appeal to the personality types of heavy drinkers and to encourage heavy drinking. Ten percent of the drinking-age population consumes over half of all alcohol. This figure corresponds very closely to the number of Americans with drinking problems. If all alcoholics were to recover, i.e., stop drinking, the alcoholic beverage industry's gross revenue could be cut in half. • Minorities: Though they drink less per capita than whites, African-Americans suffer disproportionately from alcohol-related problems. Nonetheless, the alcohol industry saturates the black community with "targeted" (black-oriented) advertising, an inordinate number in the form of billboards, which can have a significant children's audience. Many of these ads are for malt liquors, which contain 20 percent or more alcohol than most regular beers. m ~ ~ 1 1875 Conneaiarl.tirmue. A:W. Suite 300. Naslirngton. D.G 20009-5728 •(202) 332-9110 • FAX (202) 265-995! GO <i) C: Fnc,mK N-er- Mtrinvl G7rnhmn w, n

Alcohol Advertising Facts Page 2 • Women: Alcohol commercials court young women, pushing wine coolers as low-calorie health drinks (although they often are sugar-laden and more caloric than other forms of alcohol). Coolers are often advertised as thirst-quenchers and rewards after exercise. • Youth: American children see tens of thousands of beer commercials and incidents of drinking on TV before they are old enough to legally drink. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an estimated 4,500,000 young people are dependent on alcohol or are problem drinkers. According to Healthy People 2000. the National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives, nearly one-half of all deaths from motor vehicle crashes are alcohol-related. • A 1991 study by the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services found that a third of all students do not understand the intoxicating effects of alcohol. More than 2.6 million do not know a person can die from an overdose of alcohol. A projected 259,000 students think that wine coolers or beer cannot get a person drunk, cannot make a person sick, or cannot do as much harm as other alcoholic beverages. • According to the Department of Health and Human Services, sponsorships and promotions on college campuses by alcohol producers and the use of celebrities and youth-0riented musical groups in advertising create a pro-drinking environment. • Over two-thirds of persons surveyed in a 1989 Wall Street Journal poll favor requiring warnings about the dangers of drinking both on alcoholic beverage eontainers and in alcohol advertisements. Nearly three-fourths of persons surveyed in a 1990 Gallup poll favor requiring health warning messages in alcohol advertising. Voluntary Industry .Advertising Codes Are Totally Inadequate • 'ILe alcoholic beverage industry has its own voluntary advertising codes. 'Ibe codes are not legally enforceable and are vaguely or narrowly written so as to restrict advertising practices as little as possible. For example, despite its self-imposed policy of not advertising on television or radio, distilled spirits producers spent approximately $9 million for broadcast advertising in 1991. And, when advertisers choose, they simply rewrite the codes without public or governmental comment. The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. did just that in 1988, to allow TV advertising of liquor coolers. • Inadequate voluntary industry codes cover only media advertising, thereby allowing promotions such as Anheuser-Busch's licensing of Spuds Mackenzie for some 200 consumer products, including dolls and stuffed animals. 3/93