Beer ads still violating advertising code regulations

In an evaluation of beer advertising code regulations aimed to encourage responsible advertising practices, a new study finds that content violations still occur and the current US Beer Institute's self-regulation process may be ineffective.

Researchers reviewed all alcohol advertisements that aired during the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournament games from 1999 to 2008.

Current alcohol advertising is self-regulated by the alcohol industry in which the US Beer Institute develops, updates and enforces the regulation codes.

This study employed academic and public health professionals to rate the ads using both the 1997 and 2006 versions of the US Beer Institute's guidelines.

Results showed that when experts reviewed the advertisements, code violations were prevalent.

Between 35 percent and 74 percent of the ads had violations, depending on the version of regulation codes used and the scoring method applied.

Furthermore, ads with content violations were broadcast more often than those without.

Ads that violated the codes most often included content that appealed to young people and content in which beer drinking was associated with social success and sexual attractiveness.

The research has been published in the American Journal of Public Health.