Lesson 2: Alcohol Advertising
1. Warm Up: Can you think of any alcohol ads you’ve seen over the years?
What images do cigarette companies use to sell alcohol? What message
do they try to send?
2. Now we will look at some alcohol ads in groups today. Each group needs
a facilitator. In your groups, you will view ads in a PowerPoint file. For
each ad, you will discuss the same questions we discussed with tobacco
advertising:
1. What do you see going on here?
2. Why do you think the image-maker made those choices?
What you think the image-maker wants you to think?
3. What do you think? Do you think the ad is effective?
4. Now look at some anti-alcohol advertising using the same questions.
5. Journal Writing: Answer these questions so we can refer back to your
notes when we have to complete our own project:
a. What images does alcohol advertising use to encourage drinking?
b. What messages does alcohol advertising try to send to society?
c. How effective do you think these images or messages are in
promoting drinking? Why?
d. What did you think of the anti-alcohol ads? How effective do you
think they were? Why?
e. If NYC offered to pay you to come up with an anti-alcohol
advertising campaign directed at teenagers, what ideas do you
have for images and messages?
6. Discuss Whole Class: Which advertising do you think is more effective with
teenagers? Why? Share other responses to journal prompts.
Resources:
1. “Alcohol Ad Slideshow” PowerPoint
2. Laptop for groups to view and discuss slideshow
Select images from PowerPoint below with additional background
information:
Background: A U.S. study conducted in 2001 found that 93 per cent of young people
between the ages of 8 and 17 view sports on TV. And it's not just boys who are fans.
Although they consume the greatest amounts of sports media (97 per cent), at 89 per cent,
the girls aren't far behind.1
Alcohol companies are also huge sports fans. In 2003 the alcohol industry spent more
than $540 million to place nearly 90,000 ads in sports programs on TV in the U.S.2 In
fact, 60 per cent of all alcohol advertising on television occurs during sporting events.3
Source: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teaching_backgrounders/alcohol/alcohol_ads_and_sports.cfm
Background: Ciroc may have to raise a toast to Diddy, whose endorsement has done
wonders for their bottom line.
Thanks to Diddy, sales for Ciroc have skyrocketed, AdAge.com reports. According to
product importer Diageo, Ciroc's brand has grown 552 percent since Diddy came onboard
in 2007.
Source: http://www.s2smagazine.com/stories/2010/11/diddy-gives-huge-boost-ciroc-brand
Diddy is expanding his business dealings with Ciroc Vodka. According to Circoc’s marketing director,
Marc Strachan, Diddy and Ciroc are planning to release coconut and red-berry flavors of the vodka in the
United States.
According to Bloomberg.com, "Ciroc volume sales climbed to 400,000 cases in the year ended June 30
from 60,000 cases in first half of 2007, the year that Diageo teamed up with Sean Combs. Diddy’s fellow
rappers Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Jay-Z all have endorsement deals with liquor brands in the U.S., while
Combs is “a true partner” and receives half the brand’s profits, Strachan said."
Diddy is 50 percent owner of the brand with the other half of belonging to Diageo.
Source: http://dimewars.com/HipHopNews/Sean-Diddy--Combs-Making-More-Money-With-Ciroc.aspx?PressReleaseID=d9149fdf-635a-4c70-8d1f-79286d9d50ba
Background: Some members of the Detroit City Council say they’re unhappy with
billboards throughout the city that boast Colt 45 malt liquor “works every time.”
The council spent part of Tuesday looking at ways to regulate such advertising after
residents complained they were offended by the billboards featuring a cartoon
representation of actor Billy Dee Williams.
Councilwoman JoAnn Watson says, “This is killing our community.” Watson says she’s
worried the billboards are targeted specifically at Detroiters, calling it “an issue of racism
and perversity.”
A spokesman for Colt 45 maker Miller Brewing Co. of Milwaukee didn’t comment to
The Detroit News. Neither did Bob Brown, the local sales manager for CBS Outdoor,
which operates many of the billboards in the city.
Source: http://newsone.com/nation/news-one-staff/detroit-politician-calls-colt-45-ad-racist-and-perverted