Alcohol advertising debates need to move beyond content
Ahead of the launch of a report on alcohol marketing on Facebook tonight Sven Brodmerkel and Nicholas Carah urge the ad industry to embrace a more open conversation about the effects targeting will have on this form of advertising.
A few weeks ago The Australian National Preventive Health Agency (ANPHA) recommended in a draft report that the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) should include all forms of marketing within its self-regulatory scope.
This position has been met with opposition not only by the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) some creative industries and the alcohol industry. Mike O’Rourke from Bloke argues that culture in general, and parents’ behaviour at home in particular is much more important in shaping children’s attitude towards alcohol than advertising. He also makes the point that tighter regulation will only lead to agencies finding even more creative ways to advertise alcohol.
Carah
As Australia’s underage drinking peaked in 2001 – or 13 years ago – and has been in steady decline ever since, and as Australians are drinking less per capita than anytime in the last 15 years, Carah & Brodmerkel should identify a problem that needs solving before calling for more regulation for the sake of having a regulation.
Perhaps its the vibe of alcohol being marketed that makes them vaguely uncomfortable and question its appropriateness.
Perhaps it was the funder FARE. The report doesn’t say anywhere that they had independence of authorship, and FARE really doesn’t like alcohol advertising.