Alcohol Advertising Essay, Research Paper

Every time you turn on the television you are more than likely to come across a beer commercial. Beer commercials “show how much fun it is to drink and how popular it makes you” ( Monroe, 2). The ads depict young, beautiful people partying and having a good time, but is this truly what happens when you consume alcohol? By drinking alcohol, will you be transported to a wonderful world of beautiful women and good times? The ads beer companies produce try to make the consumer believe that what happens to the people in the ad will happen to them if they consume that particular product.The most common type of beer ads shows average men meeting and socializing with beautiful, glamorous, young women and having a good time. The women are usually very scantily clad and are so beautiful many men would find them unapproachable; however, the idea this ad puts in the viewer s mind is that beautiful women, like these, will flock to him if he drinks this beer. Also, it attempts to get across the idea that this particular brand of beer will bring a great deal of excitement to their currently boring lives. In addition, according to the commercial, people who do not drink this brand of beer will not have the same opportunities with members of the opposite sex as people who do drink this brand. This ad appeals to single men who may have trouble-finding women to date. Another method used by beer advertisers is to show people being whisked away to great tropical locations with all their friends. This creates the illusion to the viewer, that if they consume that product they will be able to forget about their worries and enjoy life as if they were on some tropical island in the South Pacific. Viewers are led to believe that all their troubles will be gone and life will be so much easier. However, this of course is not the case. There is no brand of beer that can transport you and all your friends to a greater place, it just simply does not exist. This is just another way beer companies try to sell their product.

Finally, beer companies always focus on the advantages of alcohol but never look at the consequences of drinking alcohol. “Television presents drinking as a problem-free activity.” (Grube, 2) Very rarely do you see a commercial where the hazards of drinking are discussed. However, we all know they do exist. Hazards such as, alcoholism, ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, and possible permanent damage to the nervous system. Beer commercials never show alcoholics drinking beer, or abusing their families in a drunken rage. Perhaps the biggest problem to do with alcohol consumption today is drunk driving. Every day people are killed as a result of a drunk driver. People lose family members and people lose lives. If beer companies spent more money concentrating on the negative aspects of alcohol consumption, instead of the glamorous aspects of it, perhaps fewer people would be willing to get behind the wheel and drive drunk.The ads beer companies produce try to make the consumer believe that what happens to the people in the ad will happen to them if they consume that particular product. Some people definitely believe that this is false advertising. Beer advertising is getting more and more creative but at the same time it is getting more and more far fetched.

Grube, Joel W. “Alcohol Portrayals and Alcohol Advertising on Television. Alcohol Health and Research World Winter 1993: 61. Monroe, Judy. “Alcohol and Ads: What effect do they have on you? Current Health Nov. 1994: 24.