Alcohol Advertising around the world

United Kingdom

Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority has some control over what can and cannot appear in advertising campaigns in the United Kingdom. In January 2005 an Ofcom ruling stated that the campaigns should not imply that there is a link between the consumption of alcohol and social or sexual success, or the perception of physical attractiveness. Lambrini, for example, were told to change their adverts in July 2005 when it depicted three women gaining the attention of an attractive man – they were told to change it to a show an unattractive man.

The first billboards to be withdrawn under this ruling were those of Young's Bitter on 11 January 2006. Greene King, a brewer which owns over 750 pubs in the UK, decided in February 2005 to cease the sale of drinks and cocktails with undesirable connotations behind their names. Any that had an association "with sexual promiscuity, machismo, anti-social behaviour or illegal acts" were banned.

United States

In the United States, spirits advertising has self-regulatory bodies that create standards for the ethical advertising of alcohol. The special concern is where advertising is placed. Currently, the standard is that alcohol advertisements can only be placed in media where 70% of the audience is over the legal drinking age. Despite the many beer and NASCAR sponsorships, there are some companies that do not advertise on taxi toppers or in auto magazines because of the negative association of drinking and driving. Alcohol advertising's creative messages should not be designed to appeal to people under the age of 21, for example, using cartoon characters as spokespeople is discouraged. Advertising cannot promote brands based on alcohol content or its effects. Advertising must encourage responsible drinking.

Another issue in media placement is whether media vendors will accept alcohol advertising. The decision to accept an individual ad or a category of advertising is always at the discretion of the owner or publisher of a media outlet. In the United States, there are several television networks that, although their viewers may be above the legal drinking age, do not accept "vice" advertising like tobacco and alcohol advertising on principle. Because of strong self-regulation, alcohol advertising has avoided regulation by the federal government.

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