ANPHA says alcohol advertising is reaching and influencing children
Louise Sylvan
Banning the advertising of alcohol brands around televised sports is one key recommendation from a report which has found this type of promotion is reaching and influencing children more than has previously been thought.
A draft report from The Australian National Preventive Health Agency (ANPHA) into the current system of regulation around alcohol marketing and advertising to protect children is inadequate, and will make a number of recommendations for changes to the Federal Government before June.
Among them are for the self-regulatory code for alcohol advertisers be extended to include all forms of marketing, including sponsorships which currently fall outside its remit., which the top advertisers’ association in Australia opposes.
Banning the advertising of alcohol (& gambling) around televised sports is needed & long overdue but unlikely with the hold the various lobby groups have.
Good news for Radio?
Actually, the booze companies would be pretty relaxed about this. They’ve each been discussing withdrawing sports sponsorships and related advertising for years, but can’t unless the others do. In short, this sort of advertising is a pretty blunt marketing tool. Regulation or legislation banning it gives them a stack of funds they can use to invest in a sharper, more targeted marketing approach.
I guess live sports broadcasts will move to after 8:30pm.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
By this logic, all advertising should be banned from TV at all times of the day, because somewhere, a child may be watching and is influenced by what they see.
In fact – we should never let our children outside for fear of being influenced by a member of the public, or to any M15+ movie for fear of seeing a famous actor having a beer and thinking its a great idea.
Why can’t parents instead take responsibility for what children see on TV or in movies and educate them otherwise, instead of ruining it for the rest of us?
We now assume everything children see on TV is taken as gospel rather than humoring them with the capability of independent thought – we let them vote at 18?Should they also be banned from all political messaging for fear of influencing them incorrectly? It’s the same thing isn’t it? What if my kids only see Liberal ads?? It’d break my heart!
Does this mean ads like Commonwealth Banks Ka-Ching app advert will also be banned? (Man and woman having a drink, old mate asks to borrow $50 from said man, he then tranfsers the money back via the Ka-Ching app and returns with a cocktail for the lady) Children might think borrowing money for alcohol is a good idea!? SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!
The regulations already in place ensure the marketing of any alcoholic beverage do not make the individual more attractive, more successful in courtship or life in general – in fact, it has to be marketed to be enjoyed responsibly. Where’s the harm? In fact – they’re probably seeing as much anti-drinking advertisement which talks about nothing but the negatives of drinking – seems like no drinky is slightly ahead by logic?
There’s also those things called parents that I mentioned before – shouldn’t they be tasked with some responsibility here? Keeping an eye on what their under-age children watch, you know, as their legal guardians, maybe pass on some advice..
I guess it’s pointless though, they could never rival the influence of TV.
“We’ve actually seen examples in Australia of spirits and beer companies putting out alcohol merchandise like clothing in children’s sizes. It’s entirely inappropriate.”
I am aware of one case of this happening is six years, where the children’s sizes used the same zipper tag as the adult size and that tag had the brand name. ABAC found it in breach of the code. A simple on-off oversight, but in ANPHA’s mind…
I remember as a kid in the 1970s buying and wearing a “Cold Gold KB” t-shirt. KB was the biggest selling beer in NSW at the time. I grew up a teetotaller and still am. That brainwashing of kids with alcohol ads takes its toll, eh?
150% +++++!
Alcohol companies should never have been allowed to sponsor sporting events.
This would be as great as banning fast food sponsorships on sports (KFC/Cricket McDonalds/Olympics etc)