Saturday, February 22, 2020

Regulating alcohol ads on social media

Government regulators around the world have been cracking down on billboard and print advertising by alcohol brands.  However, social media advertising has largely gone unchecked, and given the outsized presence of underage audiences online versus older adults, there is concern that booze companies are targeting youth on social media advertising campaigns.

According to an article by the Wall Street Journal, “The al­co­hol in­dus­try has em­braced so­cial me­dia as a way to tar­get young adults. Pernod Ri­card SA, the maker of Chivas Re­gal whisky, spends about one-third of its me­dia bud­get on digi­tal ef­forts and has an in-house stu­dio to quickly cre­ate con­tent to cap­i­tal­ize on trends. Smirnoff owner Di­a­geo PLC has cred­ited so­cial-me­dia in­flu­encers, who are paid to en­dorse prod­ucts in on­line posts, for the suc­cess of re­cent prod­uct launches.”

Global digital ad spend — particularly social media — as a percentage of total marketing budget is only increasing, and alcohol companies are no different.  And although alcohol makers say they follow strict guidelines to ensure their social media marketing efforts remain off the screens of underage drinkers, the lack of government oversight means that these brands are largely self-regulating.  Do we trust these big alcohol companies to police themselves?  Or should we be demanding government regulators to more closely monitor industry advertising practices to ensure targeted booze ads stay away from children’s social media accounts?


https://www.wsj.com/articles/booze-ads-on-social-media-stir-controversy-11580659200?emailToken=85714ea2bd867619d30f0b839df5fe4cbDgf7M1nBnuFgFhGqU3f8dXctGwZwacAX1JO8nTNH6M9cOcgCdDqrhwscypygrVeJ0u/kmrh6+WOIGrej/ZI1umyMDZIf+oBoivjvkyY5RU%3D&reflink=article_copyURL_share



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