- Booze branding 'aimed at young'
- By Evonne Barry
- The Herald Sun
- 01/02/2009 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 258 articles in 2009 )
ALCOHOL companies are branding potato chips, pizza sauces and even underwear in their latest attempts to lure young drinkers.
Bourbon maker Jim Beam is among those spruiking its name on products freely available to children.
The Sunday Herald Sun bought packets of Jim Beam potato chips in K mart during the week, after appeals by health authorities to have the product pulled were ignored by the advertising watchdog.
The Alcohol Policy Coalition - an alliance of experts from the Australian Drug Foundation, Cancer Council Victoria, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre and VicHealth - claimed the chips were banned under advertising industry codes.
"We are very concerned about how the industry is using all sorts of tactics to encourage children to drink alcohol," ADF national policy manager Geoff Munro said.
"There are several codes governing this sort of advertising, but they are being made a mockery of.
"They purport to govern advertising and marketing, but there are so many exemptions."
According to the Australian Association of National Advertisers' code, "advertising or marketing to children must not be for, or relate in any way to, alcohol products or draw any association with companies that supply alcohol products".
The Jim Beam chips do not contain alcohol, but the APC claimed the packaging was an "explicit . . . and highly inappropriate" promotion of Jim Beam.
Its formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Bureau has been dismissed.
Mr Munro said the branding of non-alcoholic products was an increasingly common tactic by alcohol companies to lure young drinkers.
"There's nothing that they can't brand - all bets are off," he said.
He said other examples included Jim Beam-branded pizza sauces and underwear, as well as the VB "Boonie" and "Warnie" dolls and Foster's thongs.
Mr Munro said self-regulation of the advertising industry was failing.
"The public believes all advertising is governed, but it's not at all. There are too many loopholes," he said.
Craig Sinclair, director of the Cancer Council's Cancer Prevention Centre, said branding had a powerful effect on teenagers.
Jim Beam was unavailable for comment.
Bourbon maker Jim Beam is among those spruiking its name on products freely available to children.
The Sunday Herald Sun bought packets of Jim Beam potato chips in K mart during the week, after appeals by health authorities to have the product pulled were ignored by the advertising watchdog.
The Alcohol Policy Coalition - an alliance of experts from the Australian Drug Foundation, Cancer Council Victoria, Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre and VicHealth - claimed the chips were banned under advertising industry codes.
"We are very concerned about how the industry is using all sorts of tactics to encourage children to drink alcohol," ADF national policy manager Geoff Munro said.
"There are several codes governing this sort of advertising, but they are being made a mockery of.
"They purport to govern advertising and marketing, but there are so many exemptions."
According to the Australian Association of National Advertisers' code, "advertising or marketing to children must not be for, or relate in any way to, alcohol products or draw any association with companies that supply alcohol products".
The Jim Beam chips do not contain alcohol, but the APC claimed the packaging was an "explicit . . . and highly inappropriate" promotion of Jim Beam.
Its formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Bureau has been dismissed.
Mr Munro said the branding of non-alcoholic products was an increasingly common tactic by alcohol companies to lure young drinkers.
"There's nothing that they can't brand - all bets are off," he said.
He said other examples included Jim Beam-branded pizza sauces and underwear, as well as the VB "Boonie" and "Warnie" dolls and Foster's thongs.
Mr Munro said self-regulation of the advertising industry was failing.
"The public believes all advertising is governed, but it's not at all. There are too many loopholes," he said.
Craig Sinclair, director of the Cancer Council's Cancer Prevention Centre, said branding had a powerful effect on teenagers.
Jim Beam was unavailable for comment.
Source: https://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24990353-2862,00.html
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