Teenagers today are increasingly the prime targets of malt beverage advertisements. Recent statistics show that 77 percent of teenagers watch television after 9 p.m. on weekdays, when advertisements for these malt beverages routinely are aired. Those same advertisements appear during commercial breaks in popular teen shows such as NBC's Friends and ESPN's NBA games. Popularly known as "alcopops," these advertisements are used by liquor companies to encompass a new generation of drinkers and have raised sharp criticism from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Selling malt beverages under the same brand name of hard liquors is a deliberate ploy liquor companies use to propagate their brand name in front of young audiences. More than 60 percent of teenagers have reported seeing advertisements for malt beverages such as Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver and Mike's Hard Lemonade.
Meanwhile MADD has launched its own campaign, asking legislators to consider congressional hearings that focus on how to prevent underage drinking, including a national media campaign and a review of alcohol advertising standards and guidelines.
"MADD is not against alcohol advertising," MADD National President Wendy J. Hamilton said in a statement. "We simply want standards in place that will protect our children from constant exposure and messages that directly appeal to them. Beer and wine companies have long advertised on TV with lax responsibility standards and irresponsible advertising, and now liquor companies have found another way to bend advertising guidelines by promoting their malt-based alternatives while teens are watching television.
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