Alcohol ads under scrutiny after tobacco advertising ban
Alcohol marketing could be the next on the hit-list of health lobby groups following the successful campaign to ban tobacco advertising.
A recent survey conducted by OMD Snapshots, on behalf of Marketing magazine, has revealed that 70 per cent of people in the UK would welcome a watershed for television advertising of alcoholic drinks.
Of the 1,329 people questioned, however, only 11 per cent believed TV advertising of alcohol should be banned.
Drinks advertising is among the issues being discussed as part of the Department of Health's National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, a government initiative aimed at tackling the alcohol-related problems.
Laws governing the advertising of drinks in the UK are far more relaxed than those in some parts of Europe and there have been growing calls for tighter regulation amid fears that it is fuelling alcohol abuse.
Ireland's health minister Michael Meacher announced that he was considering measures to control alcohol advertising in a bid to combat alcohol abuse just this month.
The measures being discussed include a total ban on spirits advertising, health warnings on all alcohol campaigns, a watershed for TV advertising and a ban on cinema advertising to under-18s.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "It is one of 61 questions on the consultation paper and among a whole range of issues to do with alcohol and health."
A spokesperson for Alcohol Concern added: "Alcohol industry self-regulation is coming under increasing scrutiny.
"We believe that codes and guidelines should be tightened up to put an end to increasingly irresponsible alcohol advertising.
"Recent campaigns have routinely broken code rules by linking alcohol to sex in particular. The industry must show it's committed to helping reduce alcohol-related harm or face the consequences."
Doug Clydesdale, managing director of brands and sales at Carlsberg-Tetley, dismissed calls for a more stringent alcohol advertising policy.
"Some of the spirits and premium packaged spirits brands have not done a great job in helping the industry's image and it's not made things easier for the beer industry," he said.
"However, responsible advertising encourages people to switch brands and there's no evidence to support the theory that it promotes excessive drinking - it's a thin end of the wedge if you start talking about a watershed ban."
Diageo echoed this objection to government interference. A spokesperson said: "We cannot over-emphasise the importance of self-regulation. Diageo as a business is committed to self-regulation and making it work.
"Media buying is a sophisticated business and we're able to monitor our audiences precisely.
"This ensures we only place our advertising in media or at events where 75 per cent of the audience can reasonably be expected to be over 18. "We have a good track record and our operating performance is better than that recommended by The Portman Group."
