Commentary on Niederdeppe et al. : Alcohol marketing exposure regulation should apply to all.

Abstract

Adults need to be better informed about their alcohol marketing exposure and risks of drinking, and be protected from the marketing of harmful products so they can make informed decisions and support the protection of future generations from these same marketing practices. Niederdeppe et al. [1] introduce new analytical methods that allow data for adults to be added to the existing literature on how marketing exposure affects underage alcohol consumption. This complements other efforts made internationally and opens a path for research in further countries into adult drinking and marketing exposure. The vast marketing of alcohol described on television alone in a short time period was impressive. The general public is probably unaware of the volume of advertisement they are exposed to, and more efforts should be made to inform and educate them about how marketing in general and alcohol marketing in particular can shape their lives, choices, attitudes, and social norms [2]. Support for regulatory controls would then, hopefully, increase [3]. Marketing during sports programs is of particular interest. Sports are a significant part of the US culture and a way to socialize, within the family and community. Soccer, football, ice hockey, and basketball are all heavily sponsored by beer companies, and beer advertisements are shown frequently on television during each sport's season in the United States and globally. Watching sport is a period of shared entertainment, but it also risks exposing children, youth, and adults to alcohol marketing. This may result in the internalization of norms and habits, leading to increases in drinking across these age groups. Despite this, marketing exposure during sports broadcasts does not contravene the industry's self-regulatory guidelines, which aim to protect children and underage drinkers by prohibiting advertising that appeals primarily to youth [4, 5]. This is because these shared viewing occasions are considered “adult viewing”, because underage drinkers do not form a large portion of the audience. As such, they will not be protected by the guidelines from marketing exposure. It would be interesting to use Niederdeppe et al.’s methods to analyze marketing exposure and drinking following major sporting events. This would hopefully allow us to assess the immediate links between exposure to marketing and drinking intentions, attitudes, and behaviors among children, adolescents, young adults, and adults. It would also have been good to have included 18- to 20-year-olds in the study. Despite being underage drinkers in the United States, these youths are adults under the law and are within the legal age to drink in many other countries. They can also still access the adult content in any media and are therefore “legally” watching all of the TV programs that other adults watch. Because they will soon become legal consumers, this group is a particular target for marketing [6, 7], and it is no coincidence that, for example, alcohol companies sponsor college sports. As such, 18- to 20-year-olds are probably as, or more, exposed to alcohol marketing as the older adults in the study [8]. However, they are also of significant concern as an age group that has an incomplete level of brain development that places them at higher risk of negative consequences from drinking. Although concerns are increasing internationally over marketing in the digital world [9, 10], television remains a very important vehicle of communication globally, particularly in developing countries. Alcohol is like tobacco, and we could all benefit from less marketing of a harmful product. Adults need to be better informed about the risks and protected from the marketing of harmful products, so they can support the protection of future generations from these same marketing practices. We can all stand up to do the right thing if we understand how personal choices are shaped. None. The views expressed by the author are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of the Pan American Health Organization