DOCUMENT RESUME ED 477 963 CG 032 427 TITLE Television: Alcohol's Vast Adland. PUB DATE 2002-12-18 NOTE 22p.; Produced by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. AVAILABLE FROM Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, Georgetown University, 2233 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 525, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-687-1019; Web site: www.camy.org. For full text: http://camy.org/research/tv1202/. PUB TYPE Numerical/Quantitative Data (110) Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Advertising; *Alcoholic Beverages; Drinking; Marketing; *Mass Media Effects; Television; *Youth ABSTRACT Concern about how much television alcohol advertising reaches underage youth and how the advertising influences their attitudes and decisions about alcohol use has been widespread for many years. Lacking in the policy debate has been solid, reliable information about the extent of youth exposure to television alcohol advertising. To address this critical gap, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth commissioned Virtual Media Resources, a media planning and research firm in Natick, Massachusetts, to analyze television alcohol advertising in 2001, using the same data and methodology as professional media planners. In auditing 208,909 alcohol ad placements on television in 2001, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth found the following: the alcohol industry's voluntary guidelines for ad placements on television are so lax that they allow the substantial exposure of youth to alcoholic beverage advertising, including advertising on programs with disproportionate numbers of young people in the viewing audience; even when adults were more likely to see television alcohol advertising than youth, in many instances youth saw almost as much television alcohol advertising as the adults; and because of the placement of the commercials, almost a quarter of alcohol advertising on television in 2001 was more likely to be seen by youth than adults.(Author) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Television: Alcohol's Vast Ad land Report of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to 0 improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 1 AVAILABLE 2 BEST COPY TELEVISION: ALCOHOL'S VAST ADLAND Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth Executive Summary Concern about how much television 1) The alcohol industry's voluntary The Standard for alcohol advertising reaches underage guidelines for ad placements on tel- Measuring Youth Exposure youth and how the advertising influ- evision are so lax that they allow the substantial exposure of youth' to ences their attitudes and decisions Youth are only 15% of the national tel- about alcohol use has been widespread alcoholicbeverageadvertising, evision viewing population (age 12 and Lacking in the policy including advertising on programs for many years. over) and represent only 15.6% of the with disproportionate numbers of debate has been solid, reliable informa- general U.S. population, age 12 and tion about the extent of youth exposure young people in the viewing audi- up.'When advertising is placed on to television alcohol advertising.To ence. programs where the youth viewing address this critical gap, the Center on audience is more than 15%, young Alcohol Marketing and Youth commis- 2) Even when adults were more likely people are more likely to see that adver- to see television alcohol advertising sioned Virtual Media Resources, a tising than adults. In 1999, the Federal than youth,in many instances media planning and research firm in Trade Commission pointed out that a Natick, Massachusetts, to analyze tele- youth saw almost as much television few alcohol companies restricted their alcohol advertising as the adults. vision alcohol advertising in 2001, television ad placements to program- using the same data and methodology ming where the youth audience was 3) Because of the placement of the as professional media planners. 30%, 25%, or less, and called these commercials, almost a quarter of "best practices."' Noting that "30 per- In auditing 208,909 alcohol ad place- alcohol advertising on television in cent of the U.S. population is under the 2001 was more likely to be seen by ments on television in 2001, the Center age of 21, and only ten percent is age on Alcohol Marketing and Youth finds youth than adults. 11 to 17," the FTC concluded that the the following: 'For this report, unless otherwise noted, youth are defined as persons ages 12-20, and adults are defined as persons ages 21 and over. 2 Youth 12-20 are 15% of the Nielsen age 12+ universe estimate for the 12-month period ending 9/26/01 (33,300,000 out of 221,930,000 per- sons age 12+), and 15% of the Nielsen age 12+ universe estimate for the 12-month period beginning 9/27/01 (34,340,000 out of 229,150,000 persons age 12+). According to the 2000 US Census, there are 36.4 million youth ages 12-20, or 15.6% of the total US popu- lation of 233.3 million persons age 12+. Federal Trade Commission. (September 1999). Self-Regulation in the Alcohol Industry: A Review of Industry Efforts to Avoid Promoting Alcohol to Underage Consumers: 10. Table of Contents The Center on Alcohol Marketing and EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 CENTER ON ALCOHOL MARKETING AND YOUTH (WWW.CAMY.ORG) 4 INTRODUCTION 5 December 18, 2002 SECTION ONE WHY YOUTH SAW MORE TELEVISION ALCOHOL ADVERTISING 6 SECTION TWO ALCOHOL ADVERTISING Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth AROUND THE DIAL 7 Georgetown University SECTION THREE YOUTH OVEREXPOSED TO TELEVISION ALCOHOL ADVERTISING 9 2233 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 525 CONCLUSION 13 Washington, D.C. 20007 METHODOLOGY 13 (202) 687-1019 GLOSSARY 15 APPENDIX A 16 www.camy.org 1 3 alcohol industry's voluntary guidelines advertising. Of the $811.2 million in Youth Overexposed to providing for a 50% threshold for television advertising (208,909 ads) Television Alcohol underage youth in the audience "per- analyzed in this study, beer and ale mits placement of ads on programs accounted for 86% of the ad spending. Advertising wheretheunderage audiencefar exceeds its representation in the popu- Four beer and ale brands accounted for Almost a quarter of the television alco- lation."' more than 50% of the total spending of hol advertising in 2001 51,084 ads television advertising analyzed: Coors was delivered more effectively to youth The FTC's recommendations notwith- Light, $114 million; Budweiser, $108 than to adults.' This means the adver- standing, the voluntary advertising million; Miller Lite, $95.8 million; and tising was placed on programs where codes of the Beer Institute and the Bud Light, $88.7 million. the youth audience was higher than the Distilled Spirits Council of the United percentage of youth in the television States (DISCUS) suggest that alcohol Youth saw more than two Coors viewing population. That percentage is advertisers refrain from airing their Light ads for every three seen by an 15% nationally and varies slightly from commercials on programs where young adult. market to market. By placing advertis- people are the majority of the viewing Youth saw more than one Budweiser ing on programs where the composi- audience. Using a base of viewers age ad for every two seen by an adult. tion of the youth audience is higher 12 and older, only one percent of all Youth saw almost three Miller Lite than average, the youth audience is in network and cable television programs ads for every four seen by an adult. effect "overexposed" to the advertising in 2001 (187 out of 14,359) had an Youth saw more than one Bud Light and is more likely to have seen it than underage audience that was more than ad for every two seen by an adult. the adult audience. 50%. Thus the brewers' and distillers' voluntary codes leave 99% of the televi- Another way to assess the volume of The alcohol industry placed these sion landscape permissible for alcohol alcohol advertising seen by youth is to 51,084 ads on television in 2001 at a advertising. compare it to product categories often cost of $119 million.Ten beer and considered youth-oriented.In this "malternative"(also known as "low Youth Exposed to High light, youth saw more beer and ale ads alcohol refresher") brands accounted for $92 million of this spending: Volume of Alcohol on television in 2001 than they saw ads for other product categories such as Advertising on Television fruit juices and fruit-flavored drinks; or Miller Lite, $18.5 million gum; or skin care products; or cookies Heineken, $16.2 million Even when alcohol advertising was and crackers; or chips, nuts, popcorn Coors Light, $13.6 million placed on programming with 15% or and pretzels; or sneakers; or non-car- Miller Genuine Draft, $10.5 million less youth in the viewing audience, bonated soft drinks; or sportswear Budweiser, $8.4 million youth exposure to alcohol advertising jeans. Bud Light, $7.3 million on television in 2001 was substantial Corona Extra, $5.6 million and significant. In 2001 youth saw two Overall in 2001, alcohol advertising Smirnoff Ice, $4.8 million beer and ale ads for every three seen by reached