Nanny-state alcohol ad bans ‘don’t work,’ analysis finds
- Last year, the WHO called for tighter restrictions on the marketing of alcohol
- But studies have shown that the advertising bans ‘have no impact on overall sales’
A nanny-state ban on alcohol advertising would have little or no impact on consumption, a review of evidence shows.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) examined studies on the influence of marketing on the demand for alcohol.
While advertising could increase the popularity of individual brands, it did not increase sales of comparable products in general.
Instead, people just changed what they bought instead of drinking more, the think tank said.
In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for tighter restrictions on the marketing of alcohol, including advertising, sponsorship and promotions, to reduce harmful use, particularly among young people.
In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for tighter restrictions on the marketing of alcohol, including advertising, sponsorship and promotions, to reduce harmful use, particularly among young people. But the IEA’s report said studies suggest advertising “does not increase overall sales of the type of product being advertised”
Data from a 2022 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report found that Britons drank 9.7 liters of pure alcohol per adult in 2020 – 0.1 less than the EU average.
In his alcohol commercial: What does the evidence show? report, the IEA suggested that these calls were not supported by the evidence.
The report said studies suggest that advertising “does not increase overall sales of the type of product being advertised.”
“A small number of studies looking specifically at the impact of alcohol advertising bans have had mixed results, but the majority found no impact on overall sales.”
It continues: ‘For some public health and temperance campaigners, the mere existence of advertising is evidence that it leads to more consumption.
‘They often say about alcohol advertising: ‘If it doesn’t work, why should the industry spend so much money on it?’.
Their mistake is to view the alcohol industry as a monolithic entity rather than a group of rival companies.
“The alcohol industry doesn’t advertise. Alcohol companies advertise, and it pays to spend money to attract other companies’ customers and keep their own customers.’
Last year, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the possible ban on alcohol advertising.
But Prime Minister Humza Yousaf has since halted all plans to introduce restrictions amid industry concerns.
In 2021 alcohol advertising in sport was banned in Ireland as part of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act.
Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the IEA and author of the report, said: ‘The claim that banning alcohol advertising would reduce the amount of alcohol-related harm in society has remarkably little evidence to support it.
‘Advertising influences the market share of individual brands, but the amount of money spent on alcohol advertising has no effect on alcohol consumption in general.
“This is how advertising works in any other mature market, and it would be a surprise if alcohol were any different.”
He said a ban on alcohol advertising would not be an evidence-based policy, adding: ‘Sharp claims made by anti-alcohol campaigners about advertising should be taken with a grain of salt.
“This evidence review found that only a few high-quality studies have looked at this issue, and the evidence is mixed at best.”