A recent study conducted by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY), a research wing of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals shocking statistics of how the young generation is influenced and well targeted by the alcohol Industry. The CAMY takes credit for the first study ever to analyse the relationship between the alcoholic ads and their impact on the youth.
For the purpose of research, a sample of 1,261 alcohol ads were considered which were repeated 2,500 times in at least 11 different magazines with 15 percent of their readers under the age of 18! The ads were later categorized and graded under 5 main attributes; over consumption, addiction, injury content, sex-related and violation of industry guidelines. For the purpose of ensuring ethical marketing in the alcohol ads, the Alcohol Industry Trade Associations have established a code of advertising standards for these ads but it is seen that there a violation in these ads recently.
The inferences from the study showed that the ads encouraged over consumption and supported addictive drinking. The youth again were the target for the beer ads which concentrated 30 percent of the market. The most popular beer and spirit brands were successful in advertising and influencing 30 percent of the same target market. 4,700 teenage deaths were reported due to alcohol consumption in a year.
All these figures show that these ads are driving the younger generation to start consuming alcohol and encourage them to continue with this deadly habit!
The CAMY controls and monitors the advertising standards of the Alcohol industry, but it is high time for the individuals, parents and the society on whole to understand that these ads could potentially jeopardize the health and moral habits of the future generation. The control and monitoring steps cannot be entrusted merely to one body or association alone, instead the awareness needs to be extended to the whole society on large and as mentioned the violation against the acceptable codes of advertising needs to be made stronger, before its too late to save our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, falling as victims to alcohol.
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