Exposure of African-American Youth to Alcohol Advertising, 2003 to 2004

Publication Date:

Publisher:

Author(s): The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

Alcohol use is closely tied to the three leading causes of death among African-American youth ages 12 to 20: unintentional injuries (including motor vehicle crashes), homicides and suicides.1 Yet, despite years of protest from African-American communities, African-American youths2 continue to be inundated with more alcohol advertising than youths in the United States in general, even though African-American youths have tended to drink less than youths from other racial and ethnic groups. In 2003, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) issued a report detailing the exposure of African-American youths to alcohol advertising in magazines and on radio and television in 2002. 3 That report provided the first-ever comprehensive review of African-American youth exposure to alcohol advertising. This current report analyzes such exposure in 2003 and 2004. Specifically, the current report finds that:



* African-American youth ages 12 to 20 were consistently exposed to substantially more magazine advertising for distilled spirits and beer than were youth in general in 2003 and 2004, even as youths' exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines was declining during those years.
* Compared to the per capita exposure of youth in general, African-American youth were exposed to 17 percent more beer and ale magazine advertising and 43 percent more distilled spirits magazine advertising per capita in 2003, as well as 21 percent more beer and ale advertising and 42 percent more distilled spirits advertising in magazines in 2004.
* In samples of radio advertising for alcohol from the summers of 2003 and 2004, African-American youth heard more radio alcohol advertising per capita than youth in general in nine of the 10 largest radio markets in 2003, and in six of the top 10 markets—New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Galveston and Detroit—in 2004.
* African-American youths' overexposure to radio advertising for alcohol dropped significantly compared to that of all youth from 2003 to 2004. In 2003, African-American youth heard 60 percent more alcohol advertising than youth in general, while in 2004 they heard 15 percent more.
* Advertisements for a single brand, Colt 45 Malt Liquor, delivered nearly a third (32%) of all radio alcohol advertising impressions among African-American youth in the summer 2004 sample.
* Alcohol advertising was placed on all 15 of the most-watched television programs among African-American youth in 2004. Three leading alcoholic beverage brands (Bud Light, Heineken Beer and Miller Genuine Draft) contributed more than half of the nearly $4.8 million spent on this advertising.