Report Asks FTC to Investigate Alcohol Advertising Via the Internet
A new report suggests alcohol manufacturers are targeting today’s youth via the digital world. Advertisements designed to look especially appealing to young people are everywhere on the internet, including social networking sites. Authors of the report and researchers are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate these sneaky advertising tactics.
Kathryn Montgomery co-authored the report “Alcohol Marketing in the Digital Age.” Montgomery is an American University professor. Montgomery states she is not asking for censorship, just better regulations on the age verification systems that many alcohol related sites use. It is fairly easy for anybody to enter a fake birthday and be exposed to various advertisements about alcohol. The report also includes cell phone and video as underhanded marketing techniques used by alcohol manufacturers. The report references a Smirnoff video that has had more than 5 million views since its release on the web.
The social networking sites make it easy to join fan pages designed to advertise numerous alcohol brands. Although the effective form of advertising is widely used by millions of companies it may be unintentionally encouraging youths that alcohol consumption is cool or necessary to be cool. The report includes some alarming statistics to back up their concern about youth drinking. The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth estimates 12 to 20 percent of alcohol consumption in the U.S. can be attributed to those under 21. David Jernigan of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health adds that nearly 5,000 people under the age of 21 die from overuse of alcohol every year. 
Of course the booze companies advertise to youngsters online; the Net isn’t regulated by the FCC and FTC as are TV and radio.