Many Parents Unaware

Two-thirds of parents believe that alcohol beverage ads make teens more likely to drink, according to a survey conducted for the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY).

In reality, these parents are unaware of the facts. Research by governments, health agencies and universities around the world for decades has demonstrated that alcohol ads don't induce non-drinkers to begin consuming. Nor do such ads increase either total consumption or alcohol-related problems.

Producers advertise because successful ad campaigns can increase their share of the market, which they acquire at the expense of their competitors, who lose market share. Scientific research has clearly and consistently demonstrated this fact.

The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth seeks, in its own words, to create "public outrage" against alcohol advertising. This misleading survey contributes to that goal. CAMY has been funded with five million dollars from the temperance-oriented Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.