Alcohol ads do not make people drink more

Alcohol advertisements do not encourage consumers to drink more alcohol, but do influence brand preferences, according to a new academic study.

A new study has found that alcohol advertising does not drive consumption levels, but brand choice

Alcohol adverts in the US multiplied by more than 400% over a 40-year period, but alcohol intake levels remained relatively flat.

New research by the University of Texas in Austin, directed by advertising professor Gary Wilcox, showed that adverts have a very small impact on how much alcohol people drink.

Wilcox examined alcohol sales from 1971 to 2011 and discovered that alcohol intake levels remained almost constant during this time frame, despite the 400% surge, reported Adweek.

What was apparent from his findings, however, was that advertisements worked well to guide consumers to choose one brand over another.

“Relating these findings to previous research reveals a consistency in that there is either no relationship or a weak one between advertising and aggregate sales,” the report said. “Over this time period, beer sales have exhibited a downward trend since the early 1990s, while wine and liquor have increased their share of total alcohol sales.

“This is despite large increases in advertising expenditures across all three categories of alcohol.”

Furthermore, the researchers noted that banning alcohol advertisements would not be effective in reducing or limiting how much people consume.

“Although criticisms of alcohol advertising and promotional methods abound, remedies that would restrict or overly regulate such communication activities usually do not have the desired effect of reducing consumption,” wrote Wilcox, lead professor of the study. “Instead, a more logical alternative would be to communicate as much information as possible to the public about the subject and encourage all viewpoints so our society makes an autonomous, rational choice regarding alcohol consumption.”

Several spirits brands who spoke to The Spirits Business earlier this year, defended alcohol sports sponsorships arguing a ban could deny them a “credible platform” to promote responsible drinking.