alcohol tobacco advertising pod

7/29/2019 Alcohol Tobacco Advertising POD

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2006 Orange County Superintendent of SchoolsAll Rights Reserved

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ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO ADVERTISING:

Deception and Money

IntroductionTobacco and alcohol ads have often included a pitch or a mascot that appeals to youth forthe purpose of associating alcohol and tobacco with something fun. If children or youthare exposed to engaging mascots, they will be more likely to choose that brand later in life.

The pages of your favorite magazine may be littered with alcohol and tobacco ads withwell-known characters pitching their products. The prohibition of tobacco ads on televisionhas only given more space for alcohol ads, which can be seen on your favorite channelsnighttime line up. Alcohol dominates a lot of the media that youth come in contact with.Alcohol ads are on television, at your favorite sporting event, in magazines, and are evenseen marketing your favorite holiday. The promotion of alcohol and tobacco is not only inadvertising, it is also highlighted in movies where the lead actor can somehow make

smoking or drinking seem cool.

A large amount of money goes into the advertising of tobacco and alcohol with theintentions of finding the next person (youth or adult) to hook. Dont let the alcohol ortobacco industry trick you. Take a stand against alcohol or tobacco advertising that istargeted directly at youth. As a Friday Night Live, Club Live, or Friday Night Live Kidsmember, you can learn to be more aware of the alcohol and tobacco industrys advertisingtactics, to be able to distinguish what audience they are trying to target, and to be able toaddress your concerns to the appropriate representatives of the alcohol and tobaccoindustries and the people/corporations that promote their products.

Use the Action Plan Worksheet to follow the steps below.

Project Overview

Step #1 Identify the Issue:- Discuss why advertising is important to companies and how advertising appeals to

different age groups.- Have each member tell everyone what their favorite commercial is on television and

why it appeals to them.- Briefly discuss the type of alcohol or tobacco ads that are out and what kind of

image they portray.- Share facts associated with smoking and underage drinking and why it is a problem.- Discuss whether or not large companies should be required to send a responsible

message about alcohol and tobacco.-

For additional facts, tips or information, visit these websites:www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.eduor www.americanlegacy.org

Step #2 Create a Plan:- Discuss what you want the desired outcome to be; i.e., removal of the ads,

challenging the tobacco and alcohol industries to think twice about who they aremarketing to, etc.

- Discuss ways to make the change happen.- Determine the time frame and the tools you will need for the project.
http://www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/http://www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/http://www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/


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- Identify people in the community who can help make change happen and/or mediaoutlets to get your message across.

Step #3 Gather Your Data:- Look through and discuss alcohol and tobacco ads in magazines, on billboards or

on television. (See Activity Ideas attachment.) You can also talk about favoritemovies or television shows that have involved alcohol or tobacco and what effect ithad on the characters and viewers.

- Determine the issues that need to be addressed in regards to the alcohol or tobaccoindustries.If you use any of the activity ideas listed, see the attachments Truth in AlcoholAdvertising, Deconstructing Media Questions, Techniques Companies Use toPersuade Consumers, and Super Bowl 2006.

Step #4 Analyze the Results:- Analyze and discuss the results. What was the biggest issue you found? What

needs to be improved? Was there anything that you found that was positive?- Determine the main issue and a solution to the problem for writing letters and/or

presenting to alcohol and tobacco companies, television and movie studios, ormagazine or newspaper editors.- Discuss what will be the best way to present the results.

Step #5 Implement Your Proposal for Change:- Use the attached sample letters as a guide to write a letter to alcohol and tobacco

companies, movie and television studios, or magazine or newspaper editors(whoever you have determined can help make change happen). (See contactinformation attached.)

- Present your facts and findings to whoever you have determined can help makechange happen.

- If your proposal for change includes educating others on media literacy, seeattached Media Literacy Workshop Outline.

Step #6 Celebrate Your Achievements:- Plan a celebration/wrap-up party to acknowledge the work that everyone has done.

Include treats, games, and a discussion on everyones favorite part of the project orone thing that they learned from participating in the project.


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ACTION PLAN WORKSHEET

School: ____________________________________________________________________

Issue: _____________________________________________________________________

Goal: ______________________________________________________________________

Step 1: Identify the Issue

Why is this issue important? How does it impact us? How does it impact our school and/or our community?

Step 2: Create a Plan

What do you know about the issue? What do you want to happen? What needs to change in order to make that happen? Who can help you learn more?

Step 3: Gather Your Data

What data do you need to collect in order to know more about your issue? How are you going to collect that data?

Step 4: Analyze the Results

What are the contributing factors, or risk factors, for your issue (risk factors are anyenvironmental conditions, policies, etc. which contribute to the problem)?

Looking at the issue and the risk factors, is there anything you need to learn moreabout?

Step 5: Implement Your Proposal for Change

What strategies you will use to make change happen* (see below for sample of strategies)? Who will you approach with your solution and who has the power to make that change

happen? How will you know you if your goal was accomplished?

Step 6: Celebrate Your Achievements Celebrate your achievements even if the change doesnt happen right away.

*Possible strategies for making change happen:

Creating, changing or enforcing laws or policies (letter writing, presentation to city or schoolboards, petitions, school policies, community ordinances, etc.)

Altering the physical environment to improve conditions and create a safe environment Creating drug-free zones and enforcement policies in places where youth hang out Counter advertising campaigns to change attitudes and social norms Media Advocacy (using the media to get your message out to change peoples behavior)


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ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO ADVERTISING

Alcohol Advertising Facts1. Youth like beer advertisements more when the advertisement has characters,

action, storyline, or visual effects.1

2. Teens say that funny alcohol advertisements with a storyline are the mosteffective.1

3. The more teens like the beer advertisement, the more likely they are to reportintentions of buying that brand of beer.1

4. Advertisements that stressed the drinking age of 21 were rated poorly, as well ascommercials focusing on the quality of brewing their beer.1

5. Research on the role of alcohol advertising and promotion indicates that youngpeople who have had the most exposure to advertising have more positive attitudestoward drinking and are more likely to become drinkers.5

Tobacco Advertising1. The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement prohibited tobacco companies from

advertising their product in markets that target people younger than 18 years ofage. However, this ban has not sufficiently accomplished its intended goal ofcurtailing tobacco exposure of children.2

2. Cigarette advertisements tend to emphasize youthful vigor, sexual attraction, andindependence, themes which appeal to teenagers and young adults struggling with

these issues. A recent study found that 34% of teens begin smoking as a result oftobacco company promotional activities.3

3. Another study found that 52% of teens with non-smoking parents started smoking

because of exposure to smoking in movies.4

4. In 2002, tobacco companies spent a total of $12.47 billion or more than $34

million a day to promote and advertise their products. This represents anincrease in spending of 11.1% from the $11.22 billion spent in 2001.6

1. Chen, M., Grube, J., Bersamn, M., Waiters, E., & Keefe, D. (2005). Alcohol Advertising: What Makes It Attractive to Youth?Journal of Health Communication, 10, 553-565.

2. King, C., Siegel M. The Master Settlement Agreement with the Tobacco Industry and Cigarette Advertising in Magazines.New England Journal of Medicine 2001; 345: 504-511.

3. Pierce, J.P., Choi, W.S., Gilpin, E.A., et al. Tobacco Industry Promotion of Cigarettes and Adolescent Smoking. Journal of theAmerican Medical Association 1998; 279(7): 511-515.

4. Dalton, M.A.; Sargent, J.D.; Beach, M.L.; et al. Effects of Viewing Smoking in Movies on Adolescent Smoking Initiation; ACohort Study. Lancet 2003; 362: 4999.

5. Grube, J. & Wallack, L. (1994). Television beer advertising and drinking knowledge, beliefs, and intentions among schoolchildren. American Journal of Public Health, 83(1): 1-6.

6. Federal Trade Commission Ci arette Re ort for 2002. Issued in 2004.


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ACTIVITY IDEAS

Ad Deconstruction Activity- Gather any alcohol or tobacco ads in magazines ortelevision commercials that portray alcohol or tobacco in an unrealistic light. As a group,discuss each ad and talk about what the ad is actually trying to sell. Ask questions suchas: Who is this ad targeting (males, females, young or old, a particular ethnicity)? Whywould this ad be appealing to the target audience? How real is the situation orcircumstances in the ad? How effective do you think this ad is in getting people to buy orpotentially buy this product? (For more question ideas, see Truth in Alcohol and TobaccoAdvertising Ad Deconstruction Questions.)

Deconstructing Magazine Ads- (Alternate activity to the Ad Deconstruction Activity)Pass out two or three ads to each group, along with a Deconstructing Media handout.Have each group select one ad that they would like to focus on, and then discuss thequestions in groups. Once they have finished going over the questions, have them

discuss what would need to be changed to make the ad really true and have them changeit. (Example: instead of Come to Where the Flavor Is, Come to Where the Cancer Is.)Have each group present what they would change on their ads.

Deconstructing Commercials- Use the Techniques Companies Use to PersuadeConsumershandout. Cut out techniques, put each in a separate envelope, and pass outone envelope to each group. Play alcohol ads from the Super Bowl (see Super Bowl 2006attachment). After every commercial, each group will discuss which technique(s) arebeing used and then share their answer with the entire group. Keep in mind that there areno right or wrong answers. It will take about five to six minutes to play and discuss eachcommercial.

Letter Writing Campaign This activity can be done as a follow-up project to the Ad

Deconstruction Activity, or it can be done in response to another form of advertisingdetermined by you and the other chapter members. (Example: reactions to a billboardnear an area where young children and teenagers are usually present; the depiction ofalcohol or tobacco use in a movie or television show directed towards young children orteenagers; reactions to promotional items passed out at specific events where youngchildren and teenagers are present.)

After determining the problem with the ad or product placement, write a letter to thecompany associated with it. In the letter, present the facts or issues about which you andthe other club members are concerned. Explain who you are and what your chapterstands for. Explain why you think that it is an issue and challenge them to remove the adfrom circulation or rotation. (See Letter Writing attachments.)

Community Canvassing Project This project is designed to give you and your peersthe opportunity to identify negative advertising influences, or risk factors, that impact yourcommunity. These risk factors can influence individual decisions to use alcohol and/ortobacco and can negatively affect you or your peers life.

The project tools help you survey up to a 1,000 foot radius of your school to identify thefollowing alcohol, tobacco, and other drug risk factors and the advertising that isassociated with it:


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Number of alcohol outlets. Amount of tobacco/alcohol advertising. Billboard/bus shelter/bench advertisements targeting underage youth. Alcohol and tobacco trash.

After completing your community survey or assessment, as a chapter, you will analyzeyour findings and report them to public and/or city officials.

Project tools include Community Canvassing Survey sheet and the Examples ofWindow Coverage sheet. Both are designed to assist you in surveying the alcohol outletsand billboards that may surround your school.


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TRUTH IN ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO ADVERTISING

Ad Deconstruction Questions

1. To whom do you think this ad would appeal?

2. What do you think is the story being told in the ad?

3. What does the picture have to do with alcohol/tobacco?

4. Where are the alcohol/tobacco products in the picture?

5. Why do you think the ad does not show the models drinking or smoking?

6. What image do the models project?

7. In some of the ads, there are no people. What do you think this means?

8. What statement are the alcohol/tobacco companies trying to make? What do the adswant you to feel? To think?

9. Do you think smoking the advertised cigarette, using the spit tobacco, or drinkingalcoholic beverages will make you confident, sexy, adventurous, glamorous, slim,successful, handsome, fun, athletic, or macho?

10. How does the slogan fit with the picture? With cigarettes, spit tobacco, or alcoholic

beverages?

11. What words are used to describe the product? Do you think they are a true reflectionof the product? Is there a health message?

12. What methods are the ads using to persuade you to use their product? (Forexample: humor, scientific information, association, repetition [such as a catchyslogan], etc.)

13. What does the warning label say?


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DECONSTRUCTING MEDIA QUESTIONS

1. Who is the target audience? (males, females, young, old, or a particular ethnicity)2. What text or images do they use to suggest this?3. Why would this ad be appealing to the target audience?4. What kind of lifestyle is presented? Is it glamorized? How?5. What tools or techniques of persuasion are used?6. What healthy messages are communicated? What unhealthy messages are

communicated?7. What part of the story is not being told?8. How effective do you think this ad is in persuading the target audience to buy, or

potentially buy, this product?


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TECHNIQUES COMPANIES USE TO PERSUADE CONSUMERS

1. FEARMedia often tries to make us afraid that if we dont do or buy something, somethingbad could happen to us, our families and friends, or our country.

2. HUMORHumor is a powerful tool of persuasion. If you can make people laugh, you canpersuade them.

3. FLATTERYFlattery is based on the idea that if you make people feel good, they are more likelyto buy your product. We like people who are like us, and we tend to believe peoplewe like.

4. DIVERSIONDiversion seems to tackle a problem or issue, but then throws in an emotionaldistraction.

5. CARD STACKINGCard stacking provides a false context, telling only part of the story to give amisleading impression. Read the critics quotations in any movie ad: notsurprisingly, only the compliments are included.

6. BANDWAGONThe bandwagon insists that everyone is doing it. It plays upon our feelings ofloneliness and isolation. In the United States, with our incredible addiction tosports, this technique is often accompanied by the concept of being on the winningteam.

7. PLAIN FOLKMany advertisers and politicians promote themselves or their products as being ofhumble origins, common, or one of the guys/gals. Unfortunately, this techniquereinforces anti-intellectualism, implying that to be common is unquestionablygood.

8. NOSTALGIAPeople tend to forget the bad parts of the past and remember only the good. Anostalgic setting usually gives a product a better image.

9.WARM AND FUZZYUsing sentimental images (especially families, kids, and animals) to sell products orideas.

10. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLEUsing good-looking models in ads to suggest well look like the models if we buy theproduct.

(This page was taken from the New Mexico Media Literacy Project: www.nmmlp.org)


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SUPER BOWL 2006

Chapter # Recording Time Title Brand

7 32:43 Hidden Bud Lights Bud Light

8 39:22 Bud Light: Secret Fridge Bud Light

10 47:44 Bud Light: Save Yourself Bud Light

12 1:00:12 Bud Light: On the Roof Bud Light

15 1:12:30 Budweiser: Superfan Budweiser

18 1:27:08 Michelob Ultra: TouchFootball

Budweiser

33 2:41:45 Budweiser: ClydesdaleAmerican Dream

Budweiser

42 3:28:52 Budweiser Wave Budweiser

43 3:35:02 Heres to Beer Beer Institute

(You are not limited to using the Super Bowl DVD. If you see other commercials that youwant to use, please do so.)


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SAMPLE LETTER

Beer Institute Advertising and Marketing Code

Date

RE: Coors Surfer Girl Ad

To The Beer Institute:

We are members of the (name of school & name of chapter), an organization that

promotes leadership and advocacy against alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. We arewriting to register a formal complaint regarding a billboard for Coors Light that was seen inthe Mission Beach, Downtown, and La J olla areas in San Diego on J uly 3, 2005. Webelieve that the ad in question violates the following section(s) of the Beer InstituteAdvertising and Marketing code:

Underage Youth: Broadcast Ad PlacementThe ad in Mission Beach was right next to Belmont Park a family boardwalkwhere there are a lot of children.

High Risk: Alertness and Coordination

As a surfer, I am fully aware of the amount of alertness and degree of coordinationthat this sport involves. I believe that this ad portrays a surfer girl drinking beforeshe goes out to surf because she is holding her surfboard and wearing her wetsuit.I dont want the young surfers to see this and associate alcohol with surfing or anyother sport.

Underage Youth: Young Looking ModelsThe model here looked very young.

We request that you view this ad against the Beer Institute Advertising and MarketingCode and inform Coors of this complaint. We look forward to hearing how Coors will

address our concerns and avoid similar irresponsible advertising in the future.

Sincerely,

(Your Chapter Name)(Your Schools Name)


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SAMPLE LETTER

Media Contact Information

Date

Opinion-Editorials/Letters to the EditorOrange County RegisterP.O. Box 11626Santa Ana CA 92711-1626

As a group of students from (name of your school) in (name of your city) and members of the(Friday Night Live Kids, Club Live, Friday Night Live*) chapter at our school, we are outraged atthe explicit attack on youth and the promotion of alcohol abuse, binge drinking, and sexual assaulton young women being used by Abercrombie & Fitch to sell their products.

In their latest attempt at being hip and cool, they have created a line of high quality T-shirts forgirls celebrating the pursuit of drunkenness. The shirts are attractive to pre-teen, teen, andcollege-aged youth the bulk of who are underage. What could Abercrombie & Fitch possiblybeen thinking when they created shirts for young girls that say:

Dont Bother/Im Not Drunk YetBad Girls Chug. Good Girls Drink QuicklyIf You Can Read This, You Need Another CocktailSotally ToberCandy Is Dandy/But Liquor Is QuickerHappiness Is A Strong Cocktail

Clearly, they werent thinking about their own teenaged daughters walking into a party full of young

men and chugging alcohol. Clearly, they werent thinking about the 1,400 college students killedeach year as a result of alcohol-related crashes, violence, or poisoning. And, they certainlywerent thinking about the fact that at least one-half of all violent crimes involve alcoholconsumption by the perpetrator, the victim, or both.

It is unacceptable for Abercrombie & Fitch to make money off the backs of young people whileasking them to put themselves at risk. We are asking young people and their parents not to buythose T-shirts, and to contact their local Abercrombie & Fitch store requesting that they support theyouth of Orange County by refusing to sell those T-shirts.

Sincerely,

(Your Chapter Name)(Your School Name)

*(Friday Night Live Kids, Club Live, Friday Night Live) chapter members throughout California workto address alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and other issues of concern to young people.


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HOLLYWOOD MOVIE STUDIOS

Contact Information

Columbia Pictures, TriStar, SonyPictures

Disney/Touchstone

Publicity Office Attention: Feature Film Production1202 Washington Boulevard 500 S. Buena VistaCulver City CA 90232-3195 Burbank CA 91521

MBM-UA MiramaxAttention: Production Attention: Publicity

2500 Broadway, Fifth Floor 375 Greenwich, Third FloorSanta Monica CA 90404 New York NY 10013

New Line Cinema Orion Pictures166 N. Robertson Blvd., Suite 200 1888 Century Park East, 7th Floor

Los Angeles CA 90048 Los Angeles CA 90067

Paramount Pictures 20th Century FoxAttention: Publicity Attention: Viewer Comments

5555 Melrose Avenue 10201 W. Pico BoulevardHollywood CA 90038 Los Angeles CA 90035

Universal Pictures Warner Brothers100 Universal City Plaza Attention: Feature Film Production

Universal City CA 91608 4000 Warner BoulevardBurbank CA 91522-0001


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TELEVISION NETWORKS

Contact Information

ABC CBSTelevision Network Programming Television Programming

4151 Prospect Avenue 7800 Beverly BoulevardLos Angeles CA 90027 Los Angeles CA 90035

NBC Fox Broadcasting30 Rockefeller Plaza 10201 W. Pico BoulevardNew York NY 10112 Los Angeles CA 90035

United Paramount Network (UPN) Warner Brothers (WB) TelevisionNetwork

Television Programming 4000 Warner Blvd., Building 34-RP.O. Box 251735 Burbank CA 91505

Los Angeles CA 90025


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MEDIA LITERACY WORKSHOP OUTLINE

I. Welcome/Introduction/Questions (10 minutes)

Ask for a show of hands regarding how many people watch television or how manypeople read magazines. Ask if anyone has a favorite ad that is out right now. Foreach answer, ask why they like the certain ad and if it made them want to buy theproduct. After you have gotten enough responses, explain that ads through mediaoutlets help companies sell their product and generate most of their money. Ask thequestion: What is media? (Explain that we have already talked about two forms ofmedia, TV and magazines.) But, what other types of media are out there? (Writetheir answers on the board under Media.) Then ask: What is literacy? (Write theiranswers on the board under Literacy. Literacy is reading or understandingsomething.) Ask what they think the terms media and literacy together mean.(Understanding or reading into the different types of media.) Write their definition onthe board and explain that that is what we are going to talk about today.

II. The WorkDeconstructing Commercials (20 minutes)Use the Techniques Companies Use to Persuade Consumers handout. Formsmall groups of 3-5 students. Cut apart these techniques, put them in envelopes,and pass one or two out to each group. Play alcohol ads from the Super Bowl. (ADVD may be checked out from the OCFNLP offices.) After every commercial, eachgroup will discuss which technique(s) are being used and then share their answerwith the entire group. Keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers. It willtake about five to six minutes to play and discuss each commercial. You do nothave to use the Super Bowl DVD. If you see other commercials that you want touse, please do so.

Deconstructing Magazine Ads (20 minutes)

Pass out two or three ads to each group, along with a Deconstructing MediaQuestions handout. Have each group pick one ad that they would like to focus onand then discuss the questions in groups. Once they have completed going overthe questions, have them discuss what would need to be changed to make the adreally true and have them change it. (Example: instead of Come to Where theFlavor Is, Come to Where the Cancer Is.) Have each group present what theywould change on their ads.

Sample Letter (10 minutes)Explain that they can do something about the negative influence advertisers haveon youth. Pass out a sample letter that they can use to challenge an ad and havesomeone read it. See attached Beer Institute Advertising and Marketing Code

sample letter.III. Outcomes

1. Become aware of the techniques advertisers use to persuade someone to usetheir product.

2. Be able to identify when an ad for alcohol/tobacco is targeted to underage youth.3. Have the skills to respond to, and act upon, ads targeted towards underage youth.


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2006 Orange County Superintendent of Schools 21

EXAMPLES OF WINDOW COVERAGE

alcohol tobacco advertising pod

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