The effect of advertising on alcohol consumption by young people - Essay Example

THE EFFECT OF ADVERTISING ON ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION BY YOUNG PEOPLE Introduction Brand advertising in the alcoholic beverage market continues to receive considerable social criticism (Ringold 2008, 127; Snyder et al 2006, 18). It is widely believed that there is a requirement for increased industry self-regulation and additional investments in industry-sponsored responsibility messages, state Austin and Hust (2005, 769). However, some public health commentators strongly oppose industry-sponsored moderation efforts. These interventions are delineated as public relations activities that are not only insincere but morally suspect (Centre on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2005). Whether young people are directly targeted by alcohol advertisers or not, they are exposed to alcohol advertising on television, in print media, and on radio. Hence, it is important to determine through rigorous research whether alcohol advertising does have an impact on alcohol consumption amongst young people. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact on alcohol consumption of youth as a result of alcohol advertising by various media sources. Discussion Ringold (2008, 139) states that her research study revealed moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages as the norm in the United States. This is similar to the results of the Gallup polls (2004) which have indicated the same outcome since 1939. The recommendations given by the United States Dietary Guidelines on moderate drinking was consistent with the consumption found in 90% of people who consume alcohol. This is supported by Saad (2005), who states that underage drinking and alcohol abuse have considerably reduced in the last three decades. The per capita consumption of alcohol has continued to decline over the past twenty-five years, states NIAAA (2006). The results of the study by Ringold (2008, 139) reveal that alcoholic beverage advertising does not exert a material influence on total consumption or abuse. On the other hand, it models normative drinking behaviour, hence may be a crucial inhibitor of alchohol misuse. Responsibility efforts sponsored by industry, by government and by nonprofits lead to desired changes, modeling desired drinking behaviours, and may be more beneficial for heavier drinkers. The research study is timely, because of the continued trend of increased expenditure on advertising, undertaken by alcohol manufacturers. This is supported by several studies conducted by governmental agencies, which have also concluded that there is no significant scientific evidence to link alcohol advertising with increased alcohol consumption. According to Hanson (2007), “the definitive review of research from around the world found that advertising has virtually no influence on consumption and has no impact whatsoever on either experimentation with alcohol or its abuse”, as illustrated in Figure 1. The graph in figure 1. below clearly indicates a decrease in alcohol consumption while advertising expenditure rises with intermittent dips and plateaus. The main reason for advertising is to increase market share, for benefiting the manufacturer. Since alcohol is a mature product category having characteristics of which consumers are already aware, the advertising of particular brands does not impact consumption in an overall perspective (Hanson 2007). Figure 1. Graph Depicting the Decline in Alcohol Consumption Concurrent to Expenditure on Advertising (Hanson 2007) Hanson (2007) reiterates that it is essential to note that advertising is targeted on established consumers of alcohol. The actual purpose of advertising is to encourage consumers of other brands to switch to their brand, and to promote brand loyalty among established consumers. Social Marketing Public health education is based on social marketing. According to Ringold (2008, 128) “a key objective of such social marketing efforts is to reduce the psychological, social, and practical obstacles hindering the adoption of a behaviour beneficial to the target consumer and society as a whole”. Social marketing involves the development of power over health status, from gaining greater control over individual health behaviour. People are provided with accurate information so that they can take steps to improve their health. Mass media efforts for the social marketing of positive health behaviour provides information about the nature and benefits of a desired behaviour, associate feelings, an image, or a personality type with a desired behaviour. Media Advocacy and Social Cause Advertising The promotion of responsible drinking by NIAAA (2006), and public opinion supported by government agencies and industry groups resulted in considerable investments in mass media alcohol education. Social cause advertising has been used since the last few decades to increase information levels, and change attitudes and behaviour towards alcohol. The social cause strategy advocated the use of best methods of responsible drinking. Mass media health communications have also been considered as part of media advocacy. “Media advocacy is the practice of making sure that the media tell their story from a public health point of view” (Brown and Witherspoon 2002, 163). A media advocacy approach to public health education assigns responsibility to those who make health-related decisions such as producers, wholesalers, and retailers, and it proposes social controls. The goal of media advocacy is to go further than to improving knowledge on alcohol or health issues (Wallack 1990, 143). The media could be used to stimulate media coverage of the ethical and legal wrong-doing of alcohol companies that promote harmful products for teenagers’ consumption. The “smoking control movement” and opponents of the fast food industry have also embraced the approach (Adamy and Gibson 2006, B1). In media advocacy, the advertising message shifts the responsibility for alcohol-related behaviour from the individual to “marketing channel members, other drinkers, and even society at large” (Ringold 2008, 129). Brand Advertising and Responsible Drinking Messages Brand advertising differentiates the advertised product from its competitors in a static or declining market, thus sustaining or enhancing its market share. Further, alcoholic beverage brand advertising provides information that helps consumers to make satisfactory choices, results in the increase of market shares of superior brands, raises the levels of new product entry, causes more price competition, and gives firms incentives to live up to product claims (Ringold 2008, 128). However, brand advertising does not cause a material influence on total consumption, experimentation with alcohol, or alcohol abuse. This method aims to influence selective demand. Responsible drinking messages as social cause advertising, work towards informing individuals to change their attitudes and adopt safe drinking practices since the aim is to influence primary demand. DeJong and Winsten (1990, 30) state that commercial advertising is seldom designed to bring about new attitudes or patterns of behaviour. Rather, its purpose is to guide already existing preferences. On the other hand, public health campaigns aim at fundamental changes in health-related behaviour. Responsible drinking campaigns sponsored by government and nonprofit organizations as well as advertisements that are industry sponsored responsibility efforts, can affect changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. However knowledge is likely to be influenced the most and behavior the least (Ringold 2008, 130). From various sources, both positive and negative information about alcohol may be available to consumers. Positive information is available from “sports and cultural events sponsorships, consumer novelties, in-store displays, clothing with brand names, closed-circuit televsion in public places, product placements, direct marketing, and unpaid media portrayals” (Martin 1995, 85). Negative information about alcohol is from counter-advertising, health news reported in the mass media, other health education and warning labels. Counter-advertising is the use of the mass media to promote healthy behaviours. These additional sources of information are also subject to diminishing marginal product, according to the economics dimension of advertising. According to the theory of cultivation analysis and the social learning theory, people who view television more frequently are more likely than less frequent viewers to adopt the view offered by television advertisements for alcohol, and programs showing the drinking of alcohol. Further, only the heavy drinkers would believe that most people drink and that drinking is not a problem (Martin 1995, 135). Limitations in the Research that Future Studies Should Include There are a few major limitations in the alcohol advertising research. For example, researchers do not take into consideration the interaction of advertising with many other variables that intervene between the advertising and the consumption. Factors such as family and peer pressure account for the greatest impact on consumption, particularly among adolescents. Further, researchers may rely too much on single experimental studies that bring people into a room, expose them to advertisements and then measure the immediate effects. However, in the real world, the effect of advertising is cumulative. Therefore, Martin (1995, 88) states that it is essential to develop more longitudinal studies that investigate the results of advertising over a period of time. Additionally, context is an important factor as in a particular advertisement being targeted at a group of people watching a sports game in a bar. Such situations where people are exposed to the advertising should be studied more frequently. According to Martin (1995, 206), the cognitive dissonance theory and commodity theory may be applied to the effects of alcohol promotion on both consumption and the intervening stages leading up to consumption. They would provide useful information if employed in future research on the drinking outcomes on young people as a result of advertising. Conclusion This paper has highlighted the effect of alcohol advertising by various media sources on the extent of alcohol consumption by young people. The evidence from research indicates that alcohol advertising, responsibility advertising and media advocacy do not result in increased consumption or abuse. On the other hand, they model normative drinking behaviour, hence may be a crucial inhibitor of alchohol misuse. Brand advertising and responsibility messages influence only primary demand and already existing preferences. Alcohol brand advertisements target established consumers to promote brand loyalty, and encourage supporters of other brands to switch to their brand. Thus, television programs and advertisements that have drinking in them may have an adverse impact only on heavier drinkers, who believe it to be the norm. Media advocacy considers problems of alcohol consumption as public health issues, where alcohol manufacturers and other stakeholders are held responsible. Individuals’ responsibility towards their own drinking patterns is not taken into account. Bonnie and O’Connell (2004, 58) reiterate the need for reducing underage drinking through parents and teachers educating youth on the perils of adopting the habit. References Adamy, Janet, and Gibson, Richard. 2007. “Flak over fast food nation”. Wall Street Journal (18th May, 2006): B1-B4. Austin, Erica, and Hust, Stacey. 2005. “Targeting adolescents? The content and frequency of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage ads in magazines and video formats, November 1999-April 2000”. Journal of Health Communications 10: 769- 785. Brown, Jane, and Witherspoon, Elizabeth. 2002. “The mass media and American adolescents’ health”. Journal of Adolescent Health 31 (6S): 153-170. Centre on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. 2005. Alcohol industry “Responsibility Advertising” on Television, 2001 to 2003. Washington, D.C: Georgetown University. DeJong, William, and Winsten, Jay. 1990. “The use of mass media in substance abuse prevention. Health Affairs 9 (2): 30-46. Gallup Organization. 2004. Alcohol and drinking. National Adult Personal Polls, 1939- 2004. Retrieved on 10th December, 2010 from: http://brain.gallup.com/content Hanson, David. (2007). Alcohol advertising. Alcohol: Problems and Solutions. Retrieved on 10th December, 2010 from: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Advertising.html Bonnie, Richard, and O’Connell, Mary. 2004. Reducing underage drinking: a collective responsibility. Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. The National Academies Press. Washington, D.C. Martin, Susan. 1995. Effects of the mass media on the use and abuse of alcohol. The United States of America: Diane Publishing Company. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). 2006. Per capita ethanol consumption for states, census regions, and the United States, 1970-2003. Retrieved on 10th December, 2010 from: www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/AlcoholSales/consum03.htm Ringold, Debra. 2008. Responsibility and brand advertising in the alcoholic beverage market: the modeling of normative drinking behaviour. Journal of Advertising 37 (1): 127-141. Saad, Lydia. 2005. Fewer young adults drinking to excess. Gallup News Service (July 22, 2005). In Gallup, Alec, and Newport, Frank. The Gallup poll: Public opinion 2005. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. 2006: 270. Snyder, Leslie, Milici, Frances, Slater, Michael, Sun, Helen, and Strizhakova, Yulia. 2006. Effects of alcohol advertising exposure on drinking among youth. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 160 (January): 18-24. Wallack, Lawrence. 1990. Two approaches to health promotion in the mass media. World Health Forum 11 (2): 143-154. Read More