No matter how hard I try to investigate other subject matter, I seem to feel more strongly on health related topics. So be it.
Yesterday, it was announced in a press release the Alcohol and Education Research Council reviewed several studies of the effects of media advertising on a number of levels, using over 13,000 participants and have deduced it is contributing to underage drinking. Really. (You can read the full article here on Medical News Today). Is this telling us anything we don’t already know? Who did we think they were marketing to?
Let’s keep this really simple. You have 10 people.
2 Don’t drink. Period. For whatever reason, whether it be religious or just never liked it or are members of AA. They just don’t drink.
2 Are alcoholics. No need for marketing here.
3 Are social drinkers. Already drinking. No real need to market here either.
3 Are children. Future drinkers. Bingo!
Have you seen these ads? Wow, beautiful young people having a ball with all those cocktails, in every color of the rainbow. They look like candy. Yummy!
We were all young once and a universal rite of passage into adulthood, which shows your maturity and sophistication, say “I’ve arrived” is to be able to consume alcohol.
They can remove all the ads and make it even more of a secret society, but until the myths and mystique of alcohol is debunked, this adulthood initiation will continue.
How say you?
