Printed Page 345

Every year, more than 100,000 people in the United States die from alcohol-related diseases; another 16,000 to 17,000 lose their lives in car crashes involving drunk drivers. Many of the same complaints regarding tobacco advertising are also being leveled at alcohol ads. For example, critics have protested that one of the most popular beer campaigns of the late 1990s—featuring a trio of frogs croaking Budweis-errrr—used cartoonlike animal characters to appeal to young viewers. Some alcohol ads, such as Pabst Brewing Company’s ads featuring Snoop Dogg for Blast by Colt 45 (a strong flavored malt beverage that the Massachusetts Attorney General called “binge-in-a can”), have targeted young minority populations specifically.

The alcohol industry has also heavily targeted college students with ads, especially for beer. The images and slogans in alcohol ads often associate the products with power, romance, sexual prowess, or athletic skill. In reality, though, alcohol is a depressant: It diminishes athletic ability and sexual performance, triggers addiction in as much as 10 percent of the U.S. population, and factors into many domestic-abuse cases. Thus many ads present a false impression of what alcohol products can do for consumers.