Abstract
THE advertising of alcoholic beverages on television is governed by a number of regulations (Section 34 of the IBA Code of Advertising Standards and Practice). Amongst other things, these regulations forbid advertisements showing solitary drinking, drinking by those who appear to be under 25, associating drinking with sexual or social success, or promoting the attractions of high-strength drinks. In recent years it has been suggested that a number of adver tisements have been contravening the regulations. In an attempt to develop a consensus approach on the interpretation of the code, Drink Wisely North West undertook a feasibility study in which 21 alcohol advertisements were looked at by 20 people who completed a short form about each one. It was found that 14 of these advertisements were thought by a majority of the viewers to break the regulations in some way. The results of the study suggest that this is a matter worth pursuing. This paper outlines a cost-effective way of doing this on a large scale.
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