Budweiser Frogs: The Effects Of Alcoholic Advertising

In today’s society, advertisements are second shadows. They follow you on the highway, plastered on exceptionally large billboards. They follow you on the Internet, popping up after every click of the mouse. They follow you at your own home, when you turn on the television. No matter where you go, companies are thrusting their products upon you; there is simply no escape. Though, out of the thousands of advertisements witnessed every year in society, few leave lasting impressions. Think of one memorable advertisement that has left an impression on you. Most likely, the product’s quality did not cause you to remember its ad. Do you remember the ad for its humor? For its animations? For its music or sound effects? Unfortunately, these are common advertising techniques exploited by the alcoholic industry to glorify drinking and to attract young, underage consumers. Though the alcoholic industry, which spends about two billion dollars a year on advertising, denies this, research proves otherwise. According to a national survey, 11 to 13 year-olds watch about 27.7 hours of television each week, and thus, witness drinking or alcoholic references regularly. Specifically in 1996, children aged nine to eleven became so exposed to drinking advertisements that they recognized Budweiser Frogs more often than age appropriate animated characters, such as Tony the Tiger or Power Rangers. These advertisements are directly linked to drinking in mid-adolescence. In the Midwest, an

These limitations will not prevent the alcohol industry from marketing their products; rather, they will regulate alcoholic ads in venues where high numbers of children and teens are present. In these environments, drinking ads can then be displayed less frequently, and even removed if they specifically appeal to young