Alcohol Advertising Targeting Minority Youth

Today a report was released by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at John Hopkins University that once again shows the targeting of minority youth through alcohol advertising. Dr. David Jernigan, who is the Center’s Director, has been doing national and local (ex: he was interviewed by the CBS affiliate in Charlotte) interviews on it today. I urge you to use this report and its findings to create a media hook that shines attention on underage drinking and the groups that it disproportionately affects. Your goal should be to present this information to the press and make it tie in to what you are trying to achieve at a local or state level. This ties in directly to privatization, flavored alcoholic beverage (alcopop) reclassification and outlet density (which is affected by both the previous). When states privatize alcohol sales the number of outlets per capita that sell alcohol increases dramatically and this is seen in particular in low income and minority communities. Alcopop availability, which is affected by its current incorrect malt beverage classification also affects low income and minority communities. Alcopop producers are using such African American artists as Snoop Dogg (Blast) to promote their products. As a reminder, a high octane alcopop (Blast, Joose, FourLoko) contains the equivalent of 5 beers in one 24 ounce can and often costs $2-$3 making it amongst the cheapest possible ways to get drunk.

This is an easy opportunity to leverage a great national report into local attention on this issue. Please take the opportunity to send the following press release to all of your local media outlets along with a short summary of how it ties in to what you are doing locally. Feel free to call or email me with any questions. Friday is a slow media day so please give your local reporters a great story by using this report!!

Among the key findings:

• Magazines: African-American youth saw 32 percent more alcohol advertising than all youth in national magazines during 2008.

• Television: African-American youth were exposed to 17 percent more advertising per capita than all youth in 2009, including 20 percent more exposure to distilled spirits advertising.

• Radio: African-American youth heard 26 percent less advertising in 2009 for alcohol than all youth on stations with the most advanced measurement data available; however, they heard 32 percent more radio advertising for distilled spirits.

Press Release:

http://www.camy.org/press/Press_Releases/Exposure_of_Afr_Amer_Youth_to_Alcohol_Advertising_08_09.html

NPR News Story:

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/african-american-youth-seeing-more-alcohol-ads