Alcohol Ads Tune in Underage Youth

Publication Date:

Publisher: Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth

Author(s): Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at Georgetown University reports that the alcohol industry routinely overexposes youth to radio advertising. The Center commissioned Virtual Media Resources (VMR) to audit radio alcohol advertising in 2001 and 2002 and to complete a case study in December 2002 and January 2003. Previous research indicates that exposure and attraction to alcohol advertisements affects young people's beliefs about drinking, intentions to drink, and actual drinking behavior.



Radio is an extremely popular and influential media for youth in the United States; with 99.2 percent of teenagers listening to the radio more than 13 hours each week. African-American and Hispanic youth are even more at risk with their average weekly radio listening time at more than 17 hours. In analyzing the collected information, the Center found the following: (1) youth heard more radio ads for beer, "malternatives" and distilled spirits than adults; (2) youth heard less radio advertising for wine than adults; (3) ads were placed on stations with "youth" formats; (4) ads were aired during times when youth listen most; (5) overexposure by brand was extensive; and (6) youth in African-American and Hispanic communities were overexposed. Finally, the sources used for this report represent a conservative estimate of youth exposure to radio alcohol advertisement. Actual exposure could be as many as eight times greater than the collected figures indicate.