Cap’n Crunch and Captain Morgan Cap’n Crunch and Captain Morgan have more in common than one would imagine at first glance. They are both swash-bucklin’ pirates, they both have moustaches and finally they are both mascots of companies in industries that spend millions of dollars a year marketing to our youth. Cap’n Crunch sells cereal and Captain Morgan sells different varieties of spiced rum. This would not be such a problem if rum were a non-alcoholic beverage with no ties to future health problems, the possibility of addiction and dependence. The sad fact is that the folks at Diageo are not the only ones who see the benefits of reaching consumers early. Even if they were Diageo, which is a global alcoholic beverages company, sells many of the most popular products on the market. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine. These include Smirnoff: the world's best-selling vodka, Johnnie Walker: the world's best-selling whisky, José Cuervo: the world's best-selling tequila, Baileys: the world's best-selling liqueur and Guinness: the world's best-selling stout. It also owns 34 percent of Moët Hennessy, which owns brands including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Hennessy. Diageo sells products in approximately 180 countries and has offices in 80 countries. Anheuser-Busch ranks number one among all companies in producing kid-friendly advertisements (Leiber). Children see commercials all the time, but that does not mean that they feel inclined to purchase every single product they see advertised…or do they? Well the answer to this is a tricky one, sometimes. If a commercial is compelling enough and if it is played often enough consumers usually tend to choose that particular brand in favor of other similarly produced items (Fox). The more alcohol ads young people see, the more they drink. Communities with more alcohol ads have higher levels of youth drinking. Each additional dollar alcohol companies spend on advertising raises the number of drinks youth consume by three percent (Snyder). Even when there are caps as to how much they can spend and even with “… self-imposed regulation banning advertising in media whose youth audience is more than 30 percent, 25 alcohol brands spent millions of dollars in 2004 on ads that violated this 30 percent cap” (CAMY, “Striking a Balance…”). This means that we need to spend less time making more laws that will go unheeded and more time actually enforcing the laws that are in place. The trivialization of women in alcohol advertising is nothing new. It used to be that boys consumed more alcohol than girls. But adolescent girls are catching up to teenage boys – and fast. Recent studies have found that girls in high school, especially those in lower grades, now drink almost as much as high school boys. In Ontario, close to seven out of ten students in Grades 7-12 have tried alcohol over the past year, with close to one in three having participated in binge drinking. Why is it that the percentage of girls who begin to drink before they’ve graduated is increasing so rapidly? Part of the answer is the means by which companies are choosing to market their products. Alcohol advertisers generally portray women in the limiting stereotypes of "sexpot," "man-eater," and "party girl." The ideal "beer babe" is highly sexualized and impossibly attractive. Being a babe, she's non-threatening, sexually available and subservient. Girls in alcohol ads are permitted to be rebellious, as long as they do so in a cute and flirty manner. They are allowed to be naughty, but not bad (Kilbourne). The sad thing is that many women-and young girls- begin to drink in order to make themselves feel better. They drink because they believe that it will “loosen” them up and allow them to be more themselves. However who one is while inebriated is not a more enhanced version of themselves but an altered version. Alcohol does release one’s inhibitions and loosen the tongue however it also is a depressant. While one or two drinks makes most people feel relaxed, more alcohol may cause feelings of anxiety, depression, and often aggression. While these insecure girls drink to become closer to the “perfection” presented in these ads they are bombarded with negative stereotypes and scenes of casual sex. Messages that build and reinforce positive associations between drinking and sex appeal, as well as independence, rebellion, maturity, fun, success about drinking fill the screens while tearing at the individual’s self-esteem. According to these commercials we are all pigeon holed in a category that dictates how we should behave and act. The only means of transformation provided is alcohol and not just any type but a certain brand. The only way to effectively escape is to buy the right drink and be seen with the right type of people, that being those who drink. Rates of Alcoholism are soaring, children are having their first alcoholic drink earlier and earlier, there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel. We live in an over-stimulated society that is constantly developing more and more ways to keep in contact. This is just creating more venues in which to market harmful products to the populace and even more concerning our impressionable children. Works Cited Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. “Television: Alcohol's Vast Adland.” (2002) <http://camy.org/research/tv1202/TVbrochure-english.pdf> CAMY is a well respected organization and one of the foremost advocates for restrictions of alcohol advertising. This article was very helpful and provided much information about the methods companies use to sell their products to a global market. Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. “Striking a Balance: Protecting Youth from Overexposure to Alcohol Ads and Allowing Alcohol Companies to Reach the Adult Market.” (2005) <http://camy.org/research/striking/striking.pdf> This article provided much information on the different markets (Adult and Youth) and how companies are trying to limit the exposure of the youth market to alcohol ads. However it also pointed out very many contradictions in the policies and actual actions of the ad companies. Fox, Roy F.. Harvesting minds: how TV commercials control kids. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2000. Print. This book was about marketing and how certain products and brands rise to the forefront of the mind when consumer are making purchases. It was originally published in 1996 and has become a staple in many marketing classes. Leiber, L. (1996) “Commercial and Character Slogan Recall by Children Aged Nine to 11 Years.” Berkeley, CA: Center on Alcohol Advertising. This article examines the various brands and how well they are remembered by children. It was interesting to not that alcohol companies and brands had a higher rate of recognition that many “popular” television shows and character associated with children’s items. K. Bucholz, G. Banks, and S. Ryan, "Descriptive Epidemiology of Alcohol Use and Problem Drinking During Adolescence: Data From a School-Based National Sample," Missouri Alcoholism Research Center. Washington University School of Medicine. This provided data that I used in my paper concerning the actual numbers and rates of drinking in school-age children. Kilbourne, Jean. Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising, 1999. New York: The Free Press. Jean Kilbourne is an expert on media and the portrayal of women. Her book addresses many issues such as sexuality and alcoholism in girls. Sax, Leonard. Girls on the edge: the four factors driving the new crisis for girls : sexual identity, the cyberbubble, obsessions, environmental toxins. New York: Basic Books, 2010. Print. This book was about the various factors that lead to emotional problems in female teenagers and young adults. It also serves as a guide to parents as to how to deal with their child’s problems as well as ways to identify a possible psychological malady. Snyder, Leslie B., et al. (2006) “Effects of Alcohol Advertising Exposure on Drinking Among Youth.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 160(1), 18-24. This article provided a more clinical look at the medical and biological effects that alcohol has on the brain and nervous system.
Cap’n Crunch and Captain Morgan
Cap’n Crunch and Captain Morgan have more in common than one would imagine at first glance. They are both swash-bucklin’ pirates, they both have moustaches and finally they are both mascots of companies in industries that spend millions of dollars a year marketing to our youth. Cap’n Crunch sells cereal and Captain Morgan sells different varieties of spiced rum. This would not be such a problem if rum were a non-alcoholic beverage with no ties to future health problems, the possibility of addiction and dependence. The sad fact is that the folks at Diageo are not the only ones who see the benefits of reaching consumers early. Even if they were Diageo, which is a global alcoholic beverages company, sells many of the most popular products on the market. It is the world's largest producer of spirits and a major producer of beer and wine. These include Smirnoff: the world's best-selling vodka, Johnnie Walker: the world's best-selling whisky, José Cuervo: the world's best-selling tequila, Baileys: the world's best-selling liqueur and Guinness: the world's best-selling stout. It also owns 34 percent of Moët Hennessy, which owns brands including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Hennessy. Diageo sells products in approximately 180 countries and has offices in 80 countries.
Anheuser-Busch ranks number one among all companies in producing kid-friendly advertisements (Leiber). Children see commercials all the time, but that does not mean that they feel inclined to purchase every single product they see advertised…or do they? Well the answer to this is a tricky one, sometimes. If a commercial is compelling enough and if it is played often enough consumers usually tend to choose that particular brand in favor of other similarly produced items (Fox). The more alcohol ads young people see, the more they drink. Communities with more alcohol ads have higher levels of youth drinking. Each additional dollar alcohol companies spend on advertising raises the number of drinks youth consume by three percent (Snyder). Even when there are caps as to how much they can spend and even with “… self-imposed regulation banning advertising in media whose youth audience is more than 30 percent, 25 alcohol brands spent millions of dollars in 2004 on ads that violated this 30 percent cap” (CAMY, “Striking a Balance…”). This means that we need to spend less time making more laws that will go unheeded and more time actually enforcing the laws that are in place.
The trivialization of women in alcohol advertising is nothing new. It used to be that boys consumed more alcohol than girls. But adolescent girls are catching up to teenage boys – and fast. Recent studies have found that girls in high school, especially those in lower grades, now drink almost as much as high school boys. In Ontario, close to seven out of ten students in Grades 7-12 have tried alcohol over the past year, with close to one in three having participated in binge drinking. Why is it that the percentage of girls who begin to drink before they’ve graduated is increasing so rapidly? Part of the answer is the means by which companies are choosing to market their products. Alcohol advertisers generally portray women in the limiting stereotypes of "sexpot," "man-eater," and "party girl." The ideal "beer babe" is highly sexualized and impossibly attractive. Being a babe, she's non-threatening, sexually available and subservient. Girls in alcohol ads are permitted to be rebellious, as long as they do so in a cute and flirty manner. They are allowed to be naughty, but not bad (Kilbourne).
The sad thing is that many women-and young girls- begin to drink in order to make themselves feel better. They drink because they believe that it will “loosen” them up and allow them to be more themselves. However who one is while inebriated is not a more enhanced version of themselves but an altered version. Alcohol does release one’s inhibitions and loosen the tongue however it also is a depressant. While one or two drinks makes most people feel relaxed, more alcohol may cause feelings of anxiety, depression, and often aggression. While these insecure girls drink to become closer to the “perfection” presented in these ads they are bombarded with negative stereotypes and scenes of casual sex. Messages that build and reinforce positive associations between drinking and sex appeal, as well as independence, rebellion, maturity, fun, success about drinking fill the screens while tearing at the individual’s self-esteem. According to these commercials we are all pigeon holed in a category that dictates how we should behave and act. The only means of transformation provided is alcohol and not just any type but a certain brand. The only way to effectively escape is to buy the right drink and be seen with the right type of people, that being those who drink.
Rates of Alcoholism are soaring, children are having their first alcoholic drink earlier and earlier, there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel. We live in an over-stimulated society that is constantly developing more and more ways to keep in contact. This is just creating more venues in which to market harmful products to the populace and even more concerning our impressionable children.
Works Cited
Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. “Television: Alcohol's Vast Adland.” (2002)
<http://camy.org/research/tv1202/TVbrochure-english.pdf>
CAMY is a well respected organization and one of the foremost advocates for restrictions of alcohol advertising. This article was very helpful and provided much information about the methods companies use to sell their products to a global market.
Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. “Striking a Balance: Protecting Youth from
Overexposure to Alcohol Ads and Allowing Alcohol Companies to Reach the
Adult Market.” (2005) <http://camy.org/research/striking/striking.pdf>
This article provided much information on the different markets (Adult and Youth) and how companies are trying to limit the exposure of the youth market to alcohol ads. However it also pointed out very many contradictions in the policies and actual actions of the ad companies.
Fox, Roy F.. Harvesting minds: how TV commercials control kids. Westport, Conn.:
Praeger, 2000. Print.
This book was about marketing and how certain products and brands rise to the forefront of the mind when consumer are making purchases. It was originally published in 1996 and has become a staple in many marketing classes.
Leiber, L. (1996) “Commercial and Character Slogan Recall by Children Aged Nine to
11 Years.” Berkeley, CA: Center on Alcohol Advertising.
This article examines the various brands and how well they are remembered by children. It was interesting to not that alcohol companies and brands had a higher rate of recognition that many “popular” television shows and character associated with children’s items.
K. Bucholz, G. Banks, and S. Ryan, "Descriptive Epidemiology of Alcohol Use and
Problem Drinking During Adolescence: Data From a School-Based National
Sample," Missouri Alcoholism Research Center. Washington University School
of Medicine.
This provided data that I used in my paper concerning the actual numbers and rates of drinking in school-age children.
Kilbourne, Jean. Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive
Power of Advertising, 1999. New York: The Free Press.
Jean Kilbourne is an expert on media and the portrayal of women. Her book addresses many issues such as sexuality and alcoholism in girls.
Sax, Leonard. Girls on the edge: the four factors driving the new crisis for girls : sexual
identity, the cyberbubble, obsessions, environmental toxins. New York: Basic
Books, 2010. Print.
This book was about the various factors that lead to emotional problems in female teenagers and young adults. It also serves as a guide to parents as to how to deal with their child’s problems as well as ways to identify a possible psychological malady.
Snyder, Leslie B., et al. (2006) “Effects of Alcohol Advertising Exposure on Drinking
Among Youth.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 160(1), 18-24.
This article provided a more clinical look at the medical and biological effects that alcohol has on the brain and nervous system.