If alcohol companies were not recruiting underage drinkers, then they would not have future customers.

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal last week regarding Anheuser Busch selling Bud Light with its cans adorned in area school colors.

That's suspicious since it looks like Anheuser Busch is targeting college students. In addition, making Bud Light cans the same colors as a given school may give the impression that the school supports that brand. In fact, some colleges may take Anheuser Busch to court for trademark infringement.

We are going to see this type of marketing increase because brands like Bud Light are stalling sales wise and the brewing companies are looking for growth avenues.

SMOKE.

Oh wait... wrong advertising.

DRINK.

I completely expect the alcohol companies to aim adverts at teens, but I don't think the advertisements are what's going to get them to drink. How many people (especially teens) actually watch advertisements? I'd be more concerned about alcohol screen time. How many "cool college parties" are shown in movies and TV shows?

@Jesse: I sent that article to Consumerist on Friday and they said they would look into it.
It seems to wreak of desperation and hypocrisy.

It's similar to the tobacco companies. They've given up on literally trying to get underage people to drink, because that's illegal and all. But they want to make sure that on that person's 21st birthday, s/he becomes an alcoholic. And you can't just start your marketing on his/her 21st birthday if you want that. You have to start early.

I don't see any reasonable way for alcohol advertisers to reach their most desirable legal target market (20-somethings) without also exposing a disproportionate number of teens to the same ads.

Article doesn't mention which shows. Until I see that, I'm not going to give this much credit. Many shows that have "underage viewers" are made for adults. I mean, are we talking about Cartoon Network here? Probably not. Does their list of shows include Burn Notice, The Daily Show, and House? Probably, and in that case the study can pretty well be thrown out as far as I'm concerned.

@apd09: No, if we didn't still have alcohol prohibition between the ages of 18 and 21, this would be a non issue.

@Jesse: Haha. Colors are not trademark infringement.

I miss pop-tops.

You know, just the other day I was watching Dora the Explorer, and saw commercials for Corona and Dos Equis. Now I know why! That also explains why the new dolls say "Dos Cervezas, por favor!".

as someone who's currently drynk...er...dunk...er drunk, I think I have the authority to say this studdy is crap. This is just more Obamma stuff coming...whoa...look at that chick.

@nucwin83: " How many people (especially teens) actually watch advertisements? "

You would be SURPRISED at how many advertisements every single person in the US is exposed to every day, even if you don't realize it. You may skip the commercials on your TiVo, but you still catch glimpses of audio and video throughout your day. Every day.

@pattiesmart: Very, very true. I'm more sensitive to this after reading "Culture Jam" by Kalle Lasn. So much so that we got rid of our TV.

But you're right that advertisements, company logos, etc are all around us every day, vying for our attention.

@GuinevereRucker: Just watching TV or a movie, even network and non-cable shows, you can be inundated with alcohol ads. Even back in the day when they didn't show specific brands, and beer cans just said, "BEER" on the side...isn't that still technically an advert for alcohol, but just without specific branding? It's everywhere.

Oh please...I began drinking at 18...sometimes very heavily, when it was legal and I hardly touch the stuff today. Give the kids a taste or two in the house and the mystery is gone and they realize it's nothing special. Hell, kids in France drink from about the time they're 12 because the water is so crappy.

@Corporate_guy: Exactly ive always had access to alcohol in my family so it wasnt a big deal to me. We see how well prohibition worked for this country

@AllanG54: I'm with you. I drank to get drunk in high school and my first couple of years in the military. After that, it lost its gleam and I probably haven't been drunk in seventeen years.

However, you and I may be the exception.

@vgeroh: The rule growing up was: "Apple, if you're going to get drunk, please do it in the basement so you don't fall down any stairs."

@Jesse: Heh, Bud Light? They'd be better off using the colors of the local high schools.

@apd09: My friend once told me a story about how his father fed him beer as a child until he got drunk to the point of vomiting. Needless to say, he is fairly responsible drinker.

@Corporate_guy: While I agree with you, some of the best times I've had drinking were between 18-21 when you had to sneak around. I wouldn't want to rob our future youth of America from those life experiences.

What is "ad-induced alcoholism?"
Was there a study or something that proves substance abuse is a product of exposure to advertising? If so, better spread the news to everyone who still thinks that substance abuse stems from a genetics-based psychological predisposition.
Advertising doesn't create alcoholism. An alcoholic is an alcoholic and the disease/condition is going to manifest itself with or without exposure to advertising.
Now, if you want to claim that aggressive ads make it happen sooner, I'd go along with that.

@GitEmSteveDave_HasADDWRTRouter: Dora doesn't always drink beer, but when she does, she drinks Tecate Lite.

@Jesse: What upsets me the most about this is that they're brainwashing callow Uni students into buying crappy beer.
Teach them to differentiate between European lager, stout and ales, and I'd be more sanguine about it.

@hungryhomer: I've heard of some parents using that method with alcohol or even cigarettes. While I somewhat agree with the idea I don't want to go to jail for giving my kid tobacco/alcohol.

It's not like people, or their taste in TV shows, changes dramatically the day they turn 21. So obviously if an advertiser wants to hit 21-25 year olds, they are going to wind up hitting a bunch of 18-20 year olds as well because chances are both groups watch the same shows.

I also think peer pressure has way more impact on underage drinkers drinking than ads - ads might make them try a different brand, but the decision to drink is probably more because their friends are drinking.

@Applekid: That's only because your wise parents wanted to protect their crop from unfortunate genetic predispositions.
Apples bruise SO easily, you see.

@hungryhomer: My Moms did the same for me and heroin. Snorting, not mainlining, though. Since the latter would have been... Irresponsible.

@Shadowfire: OK, I didn't want to admit this but I will. I'm a 30-something year old woman and I watch the new 90210.
What? Don't look at me that way. We all have our guilty pleasures.

Anyway, my point is - that show is aimed for middle and high schoolers and although I like to think of myself as a fairly liberal person, even I was clutching my pearls at how much casual drinking was going on in a show full of high school kids.

@Shadowfire: I concur! No mention of what shows were studied. Did they include Adult Swim shows on Cartoon Network? Those are rated TV-MA, complete with a warning saying kids should not watch these programs.

The Octomom letting her brood of 14 watch South Park would alone skew the results.

Did they include sports programming? There's lots of alcohol ads and product placement (Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors sponsored cars) during NASCAR races. And there's tobacco product placement (Marlboro, etc., sponsored cars) during IRL races.

Let your kids watch a NASCAR race and an IRL race and they'll turn into chain-smoking alcoholics!

@Jesse: A-B took a lot of flack in the 80's for promoting heavily to the college crowd. In particular, they were criticized for their "Spuds MacKenzie" ad campaign and their heavy sponsorship at spring break events.
While some college kids could drink legally then, the drinking age was not universal across the country, so technically, they were targeting under aged drinkers in some states. A-B eventually backed off and got more involved with PSA type ads espousing responsible drinking.
This decision to make the college colored cans leads me to think one of two things are happening:
1) There's been a "generational" turnover in marketing, and the current yahoos in there have no memory of the late 80's
2) Their new foreign corporate overlords are clueless.

Who was the study funded by?
That little nugget seems to be missing here.

I drank plenty as a teen and it wasn't because of ads. It was my friend and her "I want to be the cool mom" step-mother. By the time I turned 21, drinking wasn't very exciting to me anymore.

Besides, with Tivo and DVR, are teens even seeing ads anymore, unless they're online?

@Trai_Dep: YES! Except for me it was my Uncle Rob and Tina, he taught me mainlining may give the best high, but a needle-less syringe shot up the hiney was like a fountain of fun!

I also drank quite a bit as a teen. I don't recall ever seeing an ad for Strawberry Bullet, Hot 100 or Cisco on Tv but I DO remember those being VERY popular with the WAY under 18 set where I grew up.

@madanthony: Exactly on both points. Somebody with a shot glass of something, pushing it in your hand, saying, "Heeeere! I made this for you!" is a little more likely than an ad.

And that happens at all ages - not just 18-20 year olds. I'm 25 and that may or may not have been me this past weekend.

Hiding alcohol from children/teens like it doesn't exist is the WORST way to introduce your teen to it. If you act like it's this forbidden fruit then as soon as they can they'll go out binge drinking (that's a generalized statement, I understand it's a little overboard).

Example: My parents owned a bar when I was a kid/teen. I practically grew up in the place. Am I an alcoholic because of it? Not in the least, in fact in my group of friends I was one of the more responsible people. It gave me a respect for alcohol, not fear of it. My parents were also the first people I got drunk with. What sounds more dangerous, getting drunk with a bunch of people who are new to drinking, or getting drunk with people who have killed more brain cells drinking then I've yet produced. I rest my case.

Also, I need more posts with the tag: Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol

Thanks.

@hungryhomer: my mom left a can of budweiser out until i got warm and flat and then had me try it.
i still don't like beer.
liquor on the other hand.....

@Jesse: What's wrong with that? Most college students are adults, and responsible for their own actions, legally. And a significant portion of college students can legally drink. I was able to drink legally for 2 full years of college.

@jonsheline: Well said.

@TCama:

1. Alcohol is not nearly as universally addictive as tobacco is. It's quite addictive for some people, but not for the majority.

2. Alcohol is not an inherently harmful product, like tobacco is. It's possible to drink without any negative health consequences for yourself or increased danger to others.

@catastrophegirl: If warm, flat Budweiser is your baselines, it's no wonder you don't like beer.

@apd09: I grew up in Pittsburgh, where they put Iron City (Steeler can pictured in the photo) into babies' bottles.

What shows are they citing? I know that there are tons of alcohol ads during sporting events, which draw viewers of all ages.

@Trai_Dep: I would have liked to have been able to do that, but on my college budget, the $3 all-you-can-drink-cheap-beer frat party was a more economical choice.

However, UChicago had a homebrewing club my 4th year (after I turned 21), which turned into a de facto beer appreciation club. We had brewers from local microbreweries as guests, and had parties where the few of us who homebrewed put out their product.

@Quake 'n' Shake: If you remember the late 80s, you weren't there.

What pot was to the 60s and 70s, cheap beer was to the 80s and early 90s. They raised the drinking age to 21 nationwide in the mid-80s, but there was little enforcement; even though nightclubs carded strictly, the local liquor stores in Chicago didn't care as long as you didn't try to hold up the place.

@TCama: You actually want to create a forbidden fruit - by telling teens that "tobacco and alcohol (and porn) are for ADULTS ONLY", you make them want it even more.

@johnva: that was why she did it. i had one sip of warm flat bud when i was 15 and then i didn't drink beer again until i was in my mid 20's.
which is too bad because beer is a lot cheaper than the liquor and wine i was drinking instead!