Youth Exposure to Radio Advertising for Alcohol - United States, Summer 2003

Publication Date:

Publisher: Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth

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

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

Underage drinking is a significant public health problem in the United States and accounted for approximately 3,500 deaths and $53 billion in health and social costs in 1996. To assess youth exposure to alcohol advertising on radio relative to adults over age 21, the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, in conjunction with leading industry research and monitoring services, analyzed a sample of more than 50,000 radio ad placements for 25 leading brands of alcohol in 104 U.S. radio markets in the summer of 2003. The study shows that in 92 out of the 104 markets, youth under age 21 heard more radio advertising for alcohol brands than adults 21 and above. Recent reforms in the alcohol industry's voluntary code of good marketing practice mandate that underage youth be no more than 30 percent of the audience; in this analysis, 28 percent of the ads would have exceeded the 30 percent threshold. These findings suggest that the industry will have to change its advertising practices significantly in order to meet the new, lower voluntary threshold, and independent monitoring will be critical to ensure compliance. Since this study is based on the most heavily advertised brands and only applies to selected media markets, it does not claim to be a comprehensive assessment of youth exposure to radio advertising.