Alcohol Advertising, Movies and Adolescents

A growing body of research shows a strong association between alcohol advertising and alcohol use among youth. The findings consistently demonstrate that exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with current and later alcohol consumption, including positive beliefs about alcohol use and future intention to alcohol use [1,2,3]. However, these relationships are often complex. A positive attitude to alcohol use fostered through the media is likely to sustain a positive attitude towards alcohol and alcohol consumption. On the other hand, if the context for alcohol consumption is already well established then the individual is more likely to respond favorably to alcohol advertising—what is cause and what is effect is difficult to establish. This constitutes the central focus of this commentary. Contemporary movies as a source of alcohol advertisements are seldom considered a powerful source for advertising alcohol use. The timely study by Dal Cin et al.[4] provides a clear example of this power. What was surprising was the extent to which alcohol represented in movies with a PG13 rating was often indistinguishable from R rated movies. This suggests that normative standards of alcohol use, at least within Western contexts are more widely tolerated. However, there is a need to understand how advertising alcohol through movies interacts with the lived contexts of African American youth to create normative contexts. For example, is alcohol consumption more widespread among young people in African American communities, thus increasing exposure relative to other groups? The finding that African American youth reported greater exposure to R-rated movies than Caucasian youth may be indicative of varying parental monitoring roles and standards. Normative standards around acceptable alcohol among youth may also vary dramatically between Caucasian and African American groups. While much more is known about youth exposure to alcohol advertising in developed countries, such as the USA, than in developing countries, there are some interesting cross-national bases for comparison, especially since there is a global market for movies produced in the USA. While the youthful movie-going audience is much smaller in developing countries, what appears to be common is that advertising attempts to create a positive association between alcohol use and lifestyles. Young people's positive response to alcohol advertisements has been found to be associated with the lifestyle that was portrayed [5]. Alcohol advertising is likely to be attractive, not only because its use is associated with ‘good times’ but also because it suggests a desirable lifestyle, particularly in contexts with significant environmental stresses such as poverty, violence, discrimination and unemployment. One such example is that of cigarette advertising in South Africa. When cigarette advertising was much more widespread, commercial movie houses were used to market various brands of cigarettes. Advertisements of cigarette brands, in which attractive young people were depicted enjoying themselves in exotic locations were shown just prior to the movie itself. The advertisements closely linked a carefree and fun lifestyle with wealth, attractiveness (including sexual attractiveness) and enjoying a particular brand of cigarette. In looking at perceptions of sexual risk and substance abuse among youth in South Africa, some communities attributed greater receptivity to alcohol and drug use to the tolerance of deviance that exists within communities that lack social cohesion due to poverty, unemployment and crime [6]. The work by Dal Cin et al. clearly shows the significant role played by the movie industry in creating positive attitudes to alcohol use. They correctly identify the urgency of determining what the effects of these movies are in similar groups of adolescents worldwide and their call for understanding psychosocial processes that may underlie any causal effect becomes an extremely important research goal for which to strive. Equally important would be to understand the psychosocial processes and contexts that underlie how vulnerable groups such as African Americans and Hispanics respond to alcohol advertising. None.