Thursday 29th March 2001

Marketing Alcohol to Young People -
An Industry out of Control.

Corporate greed, lies at the heart of the drink industry's cynical manipulation of their voluntary codes of advertising practice, claims a new report by the Institute of Alcohol Studies.

The report Marketing Alcohol to Young People shows irrefutable evidence that young people are a prime marketing target for the alcohol industry.

Using the lnternet and other technological inovations the alcohol industry disregard their codes of practice. Web sites promoting alcohol are designed to take advantage of the unique properties of interactive online media-interactive games, competitions, free giveaways, alcohol

accessories, screensavers, chat rooms, and free e-mail addresses. These are designed to engage underage visitors and entice them into an environment of alcohol. Vulnerable young computer users are lured into a culture of binge drinking which has huge economic and social repercussions.

Sports sponsorship is the most blatant example of the circumvention of codes which do not allow alcohol to be associated with images of sporting prowess. It comprises a marketing mix in which events, sports clubs, teams, individual stars, clothing and toys are all connected to a particular brand of alcohol. Even babies in romper suits become a "living" advertisement for the alcohol industry.

Gina Dafalias, the writer of the report says: Children are bombarded with positive images of alcohol drinking from the moment they begin to understand their surroundings until they grow up. The alcohol industry is carrying out a systematic campaign to turn young people into drinkers as a way to consolidate and increase their profits .....As a result young people are drinking at an earlier age and increasing the number of drinking occasions and the quantity drunk.'

The alcohol industry's marketing practices are now out of control and it is woefully obvious that their voluntary codes of practice are not working.

The Government should introduce a statutory code of advertising practice which should be monitored by an independent body with power to apply sanctions against those who infringe the code.

Codes of practice should apply to websites and sports sponsorship as well as media advertising.

Marketing Alcohol to Young People is avialable in PDF format.

Further information:

Institute of Alcohol Studies 01480 466766

Gina Dafalias Mobile 07950 402635