Drink and girls: Still a boy’s staple
Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Arif Durrani, Latest reporters' blogs November 16th, 2007 by Arif Durrani
Young people are no longer being targeted by so many alcohol ads following the tightening of restrictions in 2005, trumpets a joint study from Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority today.
What does this mean? Have these two august bodies managed to single-handedly stamp out underage drinking? Have the building blocks of the very fabric of our society somehow been changed because alcohol brands can no longer plough millions of pounds into television? I think not.
As the report itself concedes, there has been little change in the proportion of 11-17 year-olds saying they regularly “drink to get drunk,” and while the popularity of ‘alcopops’ has seen an 11 per cent drop across all ages, there has been an increase in the amount of young people drinking cider.
Although the report states that it does not generate conclusive data on the impact of the rule changes, its findings have been widely welcomed by both the ASA and Ofcom, but to what end?
When I was an underage drinker, I really didn’t do it because an advertising campaign told me to. And before you start getting all Vance Packard on my ass, I really don’t think the hidden persuaders argument applies here.
Drinking and being silly on copious amounts of alcohol is a right of passage for any teenager. Often responsible for the best of times and the worst of times, I have never known it to be dependent on advertising.
I’m sure I did it for the same reasons my classmates did, to have fun, unwind and go wild, all preferably with the opposite sex. Of course, god forbid any advertiser tries to capture this mood today. As well as not being allowed to appeal to under 18s, televised spots can no longer link alcohol with sexual activity or success either.
Of course, alcohol advertising is just the latest victim in a war being waged by our caring state. It started with the loss of tobacco ads in 2003 and has since moved on to children’s TV ads, ‘fatty’ foods and 4×4 gas guzzlers. Doesn’t it make you feel all cosy and safe?
To read the news story related to this blog, go to mad.co.uk
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Tags Alcohol, Advertising, ASA, Youth Culture
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theffernan’s comment is....
I believe that we should not attempt to stop teenage drinking, but educate on the issues of alcoholism. I have today attended the funeral of a friend, a 40 year old mother of two who died from the excesses of alcohol. I have also witnessed the death of my mother-in-law through excessive drinking. The young are impressionable and it is fashionable to drink (I did it myself). The problem only arises where it affects others or it is taken to excess, like drugs and smoking for example. Terry www.highposition.net
Posted November 20th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
grimble’s comment is....
My comment is that it’s a ‘RITE’ of passage, not a ‘right’. They mean different things. Sorry to be a smartypants, but surely for those in the media business it’s as important to be able to spell (and understand the meaning of phrases they use) as it is for websites aimed at mathematicians to be able to render 2 + 2 correctly…..
Posted November 20th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Arif Durrani’s comment is....
Yes, thanks I stand corrected of course. Not wishing to make excuses (he says) but… if I were to start pointing out typos on media blogs it would make for a v. busy life, and not in a healthy/fulfilling kinda [sic] way.
ps. Smartypants is not strictly a word.
Posted November 20th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
grimble’s comment is....
You know what? - as I was typing ’smartypants’ I was thinking just that!! It wasn’t the spelling, it was the different meanings I was getting at. Just trying to avoid ‘rite of passage’ becoming one of those phrases which gradually morphs into something else where it loses its meaning - in the way that ‘fine-tooth comb’ has become lodged in many minds as ‘fine toothcomb’… a bizarre concept when you stop and think about it…
Enough pedantry for one blog!!
Posted November 20th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
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