Italian Alcohol Advertising: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Abstract

The role of alcoholic beverage advertising in alcohol consumption and in changes in drinking patterns has received considerable attention from alcohol researchers in countries with temperance traditions but none in Italy. This paper is a content analysis of alcoholic beverage advertising in a sample of 41 Italian television advertisements, taped from six national television channels. Beer in advertisements was consumed primarily outside the home and not at meals. Wine was shown as being drunk at meals in a convivial framework, with no representation of everyday domestic consumption. Advertisements for sparkling wine show consumption in a context of celebration, and often, as in advertisements for aperitifs, with erotic overtones. From the advertisements for digestive liqueurs, the makers appear to be trying to move to a younger market. Some advertising seems directed specifically at women, whose consumption has declined in Italy in recent years. In general, alcohol advertisers seem to be attempting to move alcohol consumption into new situations beyond the traditional mealtime table.