Media Advertisement Policies, Essay Example

According to a recent article (Luik), the United States should not ban alhohol advertising in television. The author argues that it would restrict the moral right of consumers and the free will of people. Luik also states that there is a “very strong evidence that the imposition of bans has not reduced consumption”(para. 7).  The above statement will be examined and the impact of TV advertising and product features of alcohol will be analyzed. The below essay is designed to find evidence for the harmful effect of alcohol TV advertising and product featuring on children’s perception on drinking. The thesis the authors would like to examine is that it is the government’s responsibility to protect vulnerable people, therefore, restrictive regulations should be introduced in TV advertising. Therefore, the authors would like to argue that it is the responsibility of the  Federal Trade Commission to ban alcohol related media advertisements and product features to protect minors.

Several contradicting statements and studies exist. According to Strasburger (792), even though there are several campaigns and government initiatives created to make children say no to  alcohol. Still, the rate of binge-drinking among young adults and teenagers is on the rise. While there are several restrictions related to tobacco advertisements, only a few exist for companies trying to sell alcoholic beverages (Strasburger 793). This means that advertising alcohol in TV, a drug that seriously damages people’s health and is especially dangerous for developing bodies and brains has little restrictions in the United States. According to statistical data quoted by Strasburger (793), 70 percent of programs in prime time television depict some kind of alcohol use. Further, on Music TV, popular among teenagers, viewers face alcohol use ever 14 minutes. This is an issue of targeting viewers, and should be solved. Viewing population should be monitored in order to restrict young adults’ and teenagers’ exposure to alcohol-related TV advertising and product feature messages. While featuring substance abuse within movies, music videos and programs aimed at children and adolescents is a great problem, it is also important to examine how direct, “in the face” advertisement of the product affects teenagers.

The evidence for the impact of alcohol-featuring advertisements on behavior among adolescents is provided by the study that was created by Snyder, Millici, Slater, Sun and Strizhakova. Table 2 (21) proved that “advertising exposure was positively related to an increase in drinking”. This study contradicts Luik’s statement. Even seeing one extra alcohol related advertising a week resulted in a one percent increase in alcohol consumption. The main determinant of alcohol consumption among younger population, however, was the average level of exposure to related marketing. The relationship between alcohol related advertising expenditures and monthly alcohol use was also determined in Figure 3 (Snyder et al. 22). According to the study above, involving a large sample of young American people between the ages of 15 and 26, there is a direct relationship between alcohol related media advertisement expenditure, exposure to these ads and alcoholic beverage consumption. It is important to note that based on quantitative data and not self-reports, as well as the size of the national level sample representing 79 percent of the population, the research provides a strong evidence for the influence of media on young people’s drinking habits.  Further, there is a need for changing targeting strategies of marketing companies working with alcohol companies. The report showed that many alcohol related websites are designed in a way that they attract underage individuals. They feature downloads and games popular among teenagers.  Strasburger (799) created a legislative advocacy for pediatricians, consisting of several recommendations to lobby for reducing  children’s level of alcohol advertisement exposure.  Further, the author advises practicing pediatricians and organizations to put pressure on the alcohol industry to restrict their advertising and product placement when the percentage of children among the audience is more than ten percent. However, Strasburger (799) also notes that regulating television, media and event marketing of alcoholic beverages would not cover all aspects of the problem. There is a need to research, evaluate and regulate digital advertising as well.

The above review of studies, research, reports and related publications has shown a clear connection between youths’ exposure to alcohol-featuring advertisement in television and teenage binge-drinking problems. While several initiatives and self-regulatory agreements exist in the industry, and several agencies are monitoring the impact of alcohol marketing messages on young people’s attitude towards drinking, the measures are not proven to be effective in this case, because they are not based on the assessment of viewing population. There is a need for federal-level policy intervention and regulation in order to reduce the risks of further generations to make lifestyle choices influenced by companies trying to sell alcohol to adults. Based on the results of the above review, a detailed policy plan needs to be drawn up to protect vulnerable children.

Works Cited

Luik, B. “Banning alcohol ads won’t cure alcoholism” Spiked Online. 2003. Web.

Snyder, L., Milici, F., Slater, M., Sun, H., Strizhakova, Y. “Effects of Alcohol Advertising Exposure on Drinking Among Youth” JAMA Pediatrics. 2006. Web.

Strasburger, V. “Children, Adolescents, Substance Abuse, and the Media” Policy Statement. Pediatrics. 2010. Web.