Alcopop Ads Seen by Millions of TeensOctober 21, 2002
Research Summary
Polls say 77 percent of American teens watch television after 9 p.m. on school nights, a time when ads for liquor-branded malt beverages are more likely to air, Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly reported Aug. 12.The survey commissioned by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) polled 750 teens, ages 12-18. The teens were asked to recall commercials they have seen for malt-based alcohol beverages known as alcopops.
According to the poll, 73 percent of the teens surveyed had seen television ads for alcoholic beverages. More specifically, 62 percent recalled ads for Smirnoff Ice, 40 percent saw ads for Barcardi Silver, and 58 recalled ads for Mike's Hard Lemonade.
George Hacker, director of CSPI's Alcohol Policies Project, said the survey showed that the liquor industry's voluntary ad guidelines allow alcopop advertising when teens are likely to be watching television.
For instance, the report found that alcopop ads ran during programs with a high teen audience, including "Fear Factor," "Friends," and National Basketball Association games.
"Even if hard-liquor ads aren't running on network television, ads for Smirnoff Ice, Stolichnaya Citrona, Skyy Blue, Captain Morgan Gold, and Bacardi Silver are, and those ads put liquor brand names right in kids' faces," said Hacker. "Marketers position these fruity drinks as kid's first cocktails. They're designed to lead kids straight to the parent brands' hard stuff."
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