Should alcohol marketing really be banned?

If an alcoholic drink is a legal product, it should be legally possible for it to be advertised. Bans on alcohol advertising, according to the alcohol and advertising industries, would have damaging effects on the alcohol market and on the media. They also argue that bans are not justified as advertising is concerned with promoting sales of individual brands, and they believe there is no evidence of a causal link between advertising and the overall level of alcohol consumption or the amount of alcohol-related harm.

Promoting brands, recruiting new drinkers and increasing sales among existing consumers, however, are the important things advertisers care about, according to those who are against the marketing of alcohol. Intensive advertising and promotion of alcohol appears to sanction and legitimize use of a product which causes high levels of damage to individuals and society.

Alcohol advertising appears to be one-sided, avoiding any reference to the negative elements of alcohol consumption. It’s also necessary to enable alcohol to compete against other alternative drugs as well as soft drinks. There is some evidence that bans on alcohol advertising can have beneficial effect on the level of harm, at least in the longer term.

I do not think that there is a need for alcohol marketing to be banned. Rather, what marketing companies can do is to make sure that they will promote and advertise alcohol correctly. There are already rules that are set in various countries regarding alcohol. As long as these rules are followed, then there should not be any problem.

The alcohol culture might be promoted now more as compared to before but if alcohol companies would become more sensitive and will follow the rules more, alcohol can be promoted in a different way. Instead of people relying on alcohol all the time in order to solve their problems, it might be promoted more as something that can be done in a positive way.

The alcohol advertisements that are being shown all over the world are starting to make the younger generation curious. There are some who would like to try alcohol for fun. There are also some who believe that alcohol can actually help them live the lives that they have always wanted. This mindset is quite alarming. It might make the younger generation more alcohol-dependent.

There are still proper ways to advertise alcoholic beverages but it will not be a great idea to advertise in places wherein young people can access and see the advertisements clearly. Take note that alcohol advertising may also be banned from sports events wherein a lot of children may be watching. They can learn more about alcohol as they grow older.