Hispanic Youth Overexposed To Alcohol Ads.

Hispanic youth in America hear more beer and distilled spirits commercials on the radio than Hispanic adults according to a report released today by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University.

Report findings present clear evidence that during 2001-2002 the alcohol industry routinely overexposed underage Hispanic youth to its radio advertising by placing product ads when and where kids were more likely to hear them. In fact, 70 of the 160 alcohol brands that advertised on radio delivered more advertising to Hispanic youth than to Hispanic adults.

According to the report:

Hispanic Youth heard more radio ads for beer, “malternatives” and distilled spirits. Underage Hispanic youth, ages 12-20, heard 34 percent more beer and ale advertising on radio in 2001-2002 than adults 21 and over. The exposure was even greater for distilled spirits, where Hispanic youth heard 40 percent more advertising.

Hispanic youth heard substantially less radio advertising for wine. Ads for wine were overwhelmingly more effectively delivered to Hispanic adults than to youth. Hispanic youth heard 64 percent less wine advertising, showing how advertisers can target an adult audience without overexposing youth.

“Hispanic parents, like other parents in the US, want their children to adopt healthy, responsible and balanced attitudes towards drinking,” said Jeannette Noltenius, Ph.D., an expert on alcohol and tobacco use in the Hispanic community and advisor to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. “The overexposure of Hispanic kids to alcohol marketing on radio greatly undermines the efforts of parents. The fact that kids under 21 hear more beer and distilled spirits ads than adults
should concern all Hispanic parents who wish to protect their kids from alcohol industry marketing,” she added.

There has been widespread concern in Hispanic communities that the alcohol industry uses specific marketing tactics to encourage alcohol consumption in their community, as is seen in the commercialization of Cinco de Mayo, explained Jim O’Hara, executive director of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. “What our study shows is that alcohol radio advertising is reaching Hispanic youth at unacceptably high levels,” said O’Hara.

These findings come from a comprehensive report on radio advertising practices and youth exposure to alcohol ads called Radio Daze: Alcohol Ads Tune in Underage Youth. It is the fourth study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth on the marketing tactics of the alcohol industry. The Center’s previous studies on television, magazine and responsibility ads also showed clear overexposure of alcohol product ads to under-21 youth audiences.

More information at http://www.camy.org