Beer promotion during EC football popular among youth under the age of 169 February 2009  Utrecht, February 9, 2009
Many youth under the age 16 are more positive towards drinking beer after EC
Youngsters under the age of 16 think more positively about beer after the massive beer publicity on TV during the last European Championship football (EC) in 2008. Those who have watched many football games, have a higher intention to drink alcohol in the coming months than youth who have not watched the games frequently [1].
This is shown by research among 1688 youngsters of 12-15 years old, conducted by the University Twente, commissioned by the Dutch Foundation for Alcohol Prevention (STAP).
High exposure to alcohol commercials
Almost all boys (95 percent) and most girls (90 percent) have seen beer advertising during the EC. Youth who have watched at least eight games know more beer brands after the EC. Especially the youngest participants (12 and 13 year olds) who have watched many games recall more beer brands after the EC than before. Almost 63% of the youth have seen the advertisements at least 5 times. Youth appreciated the beer advertisements a lot. The Bavaria commercial received a 7.8, Heineken with the Trom-Pet commercial scored a 7.4 and Amstel with the ‘easy bottle’ received a 6.8 on a score from 1 to 10. Exposure to (attractive) alcohol advertising leads to a lower age of onset of drinking and a higher alcohol consumption [2].
Gadgets were very popular
Also the two EC gadgets, a drum in the form of a hat (Heineken Trom-Pet) and a horn (Jupiler HollandHoorn) were very popular among the youngsters. Both promotional items were owned by almost a quarter of the youngsters. Another 40% indicated that they did not have the Heineken Trom-Pet but wanted to have it. Research has shown that possession of a promotional item of an alcohol producer is a strong predictor of drinking behaviour [3-5]. In the study of Mc Clure [5] a positive relationship between brand ownership and alcohol consumption was found as well: youngsters who owned more promotional items drank more alcohol.
The findings of this study are a strong motive for STAP to plead for a ban on alcohol promotion during sports events.
Main results of this study were presented by STAP in the Task Force Commercial Communication of the Alcohol & Health Forum on the 10th of March 2009.
References:
1. Bos, de V.K. (2008). Onderzoek naar de invloed van alcoholpromotie tijdens het EK voetbal op jongeren in de leeftijd van 12 t/m 15 jaar. Universiteit Twente, afdeling Communicatiewetenschap.
2. Anderson, P., Hastings, G., Angus, K., de Bruijn, A. (2008). Impact of alcohol advertising and media exposure on adolescent alcohol use: a systematic review of longitudinal studies. To be published in Alcohol and Alcoholism.
3. Collins, R.L. et al. (2007). Early adolescent exposure to alcohol advertising and its relationship to underage drinking. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40, 527-534.
4. Henriksen, L. et al. (2008). Receptivity to alcohol marketing predicts initiation of alcohol use. Journal of adolescent health, 42, 28-35.
5. McClure, A.C., Stoolmillder, M., Tanski, S.E., Worth, K.A. & Sargent, J.D. (2008). Alcohol branded merchandise and its association with drinking attitudes and outcomes among U.S. adolescents. To be published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
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