Abstract
Background
No previous paper has examined alcohol advertising on the internet versions of television programs popular among underage youth.
Objectives
To assess the volume of alcohol advertising on web sites of television networks which stream television programs popular among youth.
Methods
Multiple viewers analyzed the product advertising appearing on 12 television programs that are available in full episode format on the internet. During a baseline period of one week, six coders analyzed all 12 programs. For the nine programs that contained alcohol advertising, three underage coders (ages 10, 13, and 18) analyzed the programs to quantify the extent of that advertising over a four-week period.
Results
Alcohol advertisements are highly prevalent on these programs, with nine of the 12 shows carrying alcohol ads, and six programs averaging at least one alcohol ad per episode. There was no difference in alcohol ad exposure for underage and legal age viewers.
Conclusions
There is a substantial potential for youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet through internet-based versions of television programs. The Federal Trade Commission should require alcohol companies to report the underage youth and adult audiences for internet versions of television programs on which they advertise.
Keywords: Alcohol, advertising, brand, internet, youth
Introduction
Alcohol use among underage youth is a substantial public health problem. In 2013, more than one-third of U.S. high school students (34.9%) were current alcohol users and one-fifth (20.8%) were binge drinkers (Kann et al., 2014). Exposure to alcohol advertising has been shown to influence youth drinking behavior (Anderson et al., 2009; Smith & Foxcroft, 2009). Television is well-recognized as a major source of youth exposure to alcohol advertising (Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2010; Jernigan et al., 2013). In 2011, 14 alcohol companies spent $880 million advertising their products on television (Federal Trade Commission, 2014). Recently, attention has also been given to the internet as a potential source of youth exposure to alcohol advertising (Carroll & Donovan, 2002; Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2004; Chester et al., 2010; Gordon, 2011; Jernigan et al., 2005; Jones et al., 2014). From 2005 to 2011, the percentage of alcohol company expenditures on television declined from 26.0% to 25.4% of total marketing spending, while expenditures on independent internet sites increased from 0.8% to 5.5% of marketing expenditures (Federal Trade Commission, 2008, 2014).
A recent report from Common Sense Media (2014) noted that: “TV viewing is gradually shifting from “live” programming (i.e., watching shows as they are aired) to viewing online or on mobile devices… .” (p. 7) The report emphasizes the need for researchers to find new methods to quantify youth exposure to advertising in these new media. Although the presence of alcohol advertising on television programs has been extensively studied, and youth exposure to such advertising has been quantified for well over a decade (Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2010; Jernigan et al., 2013), very little is known about youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet. While it is known exactly how much alcohol advertising appears on specific television programs, there are no data on the amount of alcohol advertising that appears on these very same programs when they are streamed on the internet.
Most of the existing research on internet alcohol advertising has examined alcohol company web sites (Carroll & Donovan, 2002; Center for Media Education, 1997, 1999; Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2004; Chester et al., 2010; Federal Trade Commission, 1999; Gordon, 2011; Jones et al., 2014) or social media sites (Griffiths & Casswell, 2010; Hoffman et al., 2014; Jernigan & Rushman, 2014; Mart, 2009; Nhean et al., 2014; Nicholls, 2012; Winpenny et al., 2014). For example, a recent study from Australia (Jones et al., 2014) examined youth exposure to alcohol promotional content on 25 specific alcohol web sites. Reports by CAMY (Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2004), the Center for Media Education (1997, 1999), the Center for Digital Democracy (Chester et al., 2010), and the Federal Trade Commission (1999) and studies by Carroll and Donovan (2002) and Gordon (2011) have also reviewed specific alcohol company web sites. In addition, a number of studies have investigated the presence of alcohol promotion on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (Griffiths & Casswell, 2010; Hoffman et al., 2014; Jernigan & Rushman, 2014; Mart, 2009; Nhean et al., 2014; Nicholls, 2012; Winpenny et al., 2014). However, there has been little, if any, research on general exposure of youth to alcohol advertising on non-company-related web sites that are not social media sites. For example, no previous study has simply examined the internet versions of television programs on television network or other web sites (such as Hulu) to determine the nature and extent of alcohol advertising to which youth might be exposed.
A critical gap in the current research on alcohol advertising and youth is the lack of knowledge on the extent of exposure on many web sites that youth visit on the internet. Alcohol web sites and social media sites are just a fraction of the sites that youth frequent. Jones and Magee (2011) found that 55.4% of Australian adolescents ages 12–17 reported having seen alcohol advertising on the internet; however, they did not ascertain on what sites this exposure occurred. Without any knowledge about the web site-specific sources of exposure, it is virtually impossible to address the problem of youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet.
This paper is an initial attempt to systematically assess potential youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet among a specific subset of web sites: those of television networks that make available online full episodes of television programs that are popular among underage youth. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the nature and extent of alcohol advertising on the internet versions of popular television programs. Specifically, we examine the presence of alcohol advertisements on the internet versions of 12 television programs that are popular among underage viewers.
Methods
Design Overview
The goal of this project was to estimate potential youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet versions of 20 television programs popular among youth. During a baseline period of one week, six coders watched and analyzed the product advertising appearing on the 12 of these programs that are available in full episode format on the internet. Based on the similarity of the alcohol advertisements viewed by the six coders across the shows, for the remaining three weeks of a four-week analysis, the programs were divided among the coders for analysis. Finally, for each program identified as carrying alcohol advertising, three underage coders (ages 10, 13, and 18) analyzed the program to confirm that alcohol advertising was accessible to underage viewers and to quantify the extent of that advertising.
Selection of Internet Television Programs for Study
In a previous study of underage youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television, we identified a sample of 20 programs that are both popular among youth and which contain alcohol advertising (Ross et al., 2014). That study quantified youth exposure to brand-specific alcohol advertising on each of those 20 programs. The present study sought to examine potential exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet broadcasts of these programs at the television network web sites. Therefore, the television network that broadcasts each of the 20 shows was identified and its web site was examined to determine whether full episodes of the program were available at the site. Twelve of the 20 web sites allowed the viewing of full episodes, and these 12 programs represent the primary sample for the analyses (Table 1).
Table 1.
Television programs considered for analysis and selection of final sample.
% Underage Youth Exposeda | Television Network | Full Episodes Available on Internet | Number of Full Episodes Available (as of July 2014) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Two and a Half Men | 34.0 | CBS | Yes | 5 |
Tosh.O | 30.0 | Comedy Central | Yes | 5 |
1000 Ways to Die | 28.5 | Spike | Yes | 48 |
Law and Order: SVU | 27.6 | NBC | Yes | 5 |
CSI | 25.3 | CBS | Yes | 5 |
NCIS | 24.8 | CBS | Yes | 6 |
Man v. Food | 23.0 | Travel Channel | Yes | 6 |
Comedy Central Presents | 22.2 | Comedy Central | Yes | 5 (removed from site in late July) |
Mythbusters | 21.1 | Discovery Channel | No | -- |
The Office | 20.5 | NBC | No | -- |
DVD on TV | 19.4 | FX | No | -- |
The Daily Show | 15.3 | Comedy Central | Yes | 16 |
Dirty Jobs | 15.0 | Discovery Channel | No | -- |
King of Queens | 14.9 | CBS | No | -- |
The Colbert Report | 14.7 | Comedy Central | Yes | 16 |
Chelsea Lately | 11.9 | E! | No | -- |
Ghost Adventures | 10.3 | Travel Channel | Yes | 4 |
Ultimate Fighter Unleashed | 9.2 | Spike | No | -- |
Deadliest Warrior | 7.4 | Spike | Yes | 11 |
Lopez Tonight | 6.0 | TBS | No | -- |
Percentage of youth respondents (ages 13–20) who reported watching the television show during the past 30 days, based on the Youth Alcohol Brand Survey, 2012 (Ross et al., 2014).
Television network web sites can be accessed not only on personal computers, but also on other devices such as mobile phones. Two of the 20 programs—The Daily Show and The Colbert Report— offer full episodes for viewing on an iPhone. These two programs, viewed on the iPhone as well as on a computer, were therefore included in the analysis.
Coders
A total of eight research team members were involved in the viewing of television programs and the coding of alcohol advertisements. Four coders were of legal drinking age (21+) (one faculty member and three masters of public health students), and four were underage youths (ages 20, 18, 13, and 10). All team members were trained in a standardized protocol for accessing, viewing, and coding the programs. Before the youth participants took part in the study, the detailed protocol was explained to them and their parents, and parental consent was obtained for these youth to participate as coders in the study.
Protocol for Accessing Programs
Each coder accessed the television programs on his or her own laptop computer (or iPhone). Coders were instructed to be honest about their age should they be asked for age verification. None of the coders had previously lied about their age, so there were no cookies with a legal age present on their devices.
Protocol for Coding Advertisements
Each full episode was viewed once, from start to finish. To save time, coders fast-forwarded through the programs to each commercial break. For each advertisement, coders recorded the product name and type of ad. An ad appearing within the main video screen was coded as an “embedded” ad. An ad appearing in a separate window from the main video screen was coded as a “banner” ad. If a program was sponsored by a product, the brand was recorded as a program “sponsor.” Advertisements for television programs or other content on the network were not included, since they do not represent paid advertising but are internal promotion of programming on the television network.
Sampling Plan and Study Period
Identifying the advertisements shown on internet broadcasts of television programs is complicated by several factors. First, the sequence and set of advertisements shown may be different for each viewing of the episode. Advertisements are programmed to be shown by the web site from a pool of products, but the same ads do not necessarily appear during each viewing, even for a single coder viewing the same episode back to back. Second, ad experiences may be different for various users based on the internet service provider, browser, and browsing history of that individual. Also, television networks might alter the advertisements based on the age of the viewer. Third, the pool of advertised products may change frequently (e.g., from one week to the next).
These complications were addressed in three ways. First, six different coders conducted the initial assessment, rather than just a single individual. Using multiple viewers from multiple platforms and with varying ages and browsing histories helped to confirm the prevalence of alcohol advertising, if present. Single viewers were used only after confirming the similarity of alcohol advertising experiences across multiple viewers.
Second, for each program that contained alcohol advertisements, three underage coders (ages 10, 13, and 18) were tasked with coding those programs to assess whether any alcohol advertising was accessible to underage viewers who were being honest about their age.
Third, in assessing the amount of alcohol advertising in any given week, up to five episodes of that program were coded. In addition, for programs with alcohol advertising identified, each show was coded over a four-week period.
The sampling protocol was as follows: (1) During a baseline sampling period, the first week of July 2014, six coders viewed and coded up to five full episodes of each of the 12 television programs; (2) Programs on which no alcohol advertising was detected by any of the six coders were not analyzed further; (3) Programs with any detected alcohol advertising were then divided up and assigned to one coder for examination during each of the three subsequent weeks of July, thus yielding a complete four-week assessment of that program’s advertising during the month of July; (4) Programs with any detected alcohol advertising were also assigned for coding to three underage youth – ages 10, 13, and 18 – during the month of July. A summary of the coding system is shown in Table 2.
Table 2.
Summary of television programs reviewed by coders.
Coder | Age | Baseline Perioda | Follow-up Periodb | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shows Viewed | Episodes Viewed | Shows Viewed | Episodes Viewed | ||
1 | Legal (21+) | All (12) | 57 | 3 | 60 |
2 | Legal (21+) | All (12) | 58 | 2 | 40 |
3 | Legal (21+) | All (12) | 56 | 2 | 35 |
4 | 20 | All (12) | 58 | 2 | 40 |
5 | Legal (21+) | All (12) | 57 | ----- | ----- |
6 | 18 | All (12) | 49 | 11 (including Daily Show and Colbert Report on iPhone) | 49 |
7 | 10 | ----- | ----- | 9 (all with alcohol ads) | 44 |
8 | 13 | ----- | ----- | 9 (all with alcohol ads) | 45 |
First week of July, 2014
Second, third, and fourth weeks of July, 2014
Results
For the baseline period (first week of July 2014), six different coders watched a total of 335 episodes of the internet versions of 12 television programs, finding a total of 6,306 advertisements, of which 460 (7.3%) were for alcoholic beverages (Table 3). Alcohol advertisements appeared on nine of the 12 programs, and the percentage of total ads comprised by alcohol products on these nine programs ranged from 0.3% (Law and Order: SVU) to 19.5% (The Daily Show). Six programs had an average number of alcohol advertisements per episode greater than 1.0. The alcohol brands advertised included six beers (Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, and Michelob Ultra), two tequilas (Patron and Sauza), two bourbons (Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark), one rum (Captain Morgan), one vodka (Svedka), and one brand of hard cider (Johnny Appleseed).
Table 3.
Alcohol advertisements on internet television programs – first week of July 2014 -- based on six reviewers.
Program | Total Number of Episodes Viewed | Total Ads for All Products | Number of Alcohol Ads | Average Alcohol Ads per Episode | Percentage of Ads for Alcohol (%) | Alcohol Brands Advertised |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Two and a Half Men | 30 | 562 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | None |
Tosh.O | 25 | 371 | 38 | 1.5 | 10.2 | Coors, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, Patron |
1000 Ways to Die | 30 | 461 | 74 | 2.5 | 16.1 | Coors, Corona, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
Law and Order: SVU | 30 | 723 | 2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | Sauza |
CSI | 29 | 969 | 24 | 0.8 | 2.5 | Johnny Appleseed (hard cider) |
NCIS | 28 | 860 | 10 | 0.4 | 1.2 | Michelob Ultra |
Man v. Food | 22 | 119 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | None |
Comedy Central Presents | 30 | 483 | 57 | 1.9 | 11.8 | Captain Morgan, Coors, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
The Daily Show | 30 | 528 | 103 | 3.4 | 19.5 | Coors, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
The Colbert Report | 30 | 487 | 79 | 2.6 | 16.2 | Captain Morgan, Coors, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron, Svedka |
Ghost Adventures | 21 | 128 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | None |
Deadliest Warrior | 30 | 615 | 73 | 2.4 | 11.9 | Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
TOTAL | 335 | 6,306 | 460 | 1.4 | 7.3 |
Among the nine programs that contained alcohol advertising, four reviewers watched a total of 175 episodes over four weeks, coding 3,449 advertisements, of which 289 (8.4%) were for alcoholic beverages (Table 4). Five programs were identified for which the percentage of advertisements for alcohol was greater than 10% of total advertising: The Daily Show: 18.5%, The Colbert Report: 18.1%, Tosh.O: 17.1%, 1000 Ways to Die: 11.9%, and Deadliest Warrior: 10.2%. The brands advertised were the same as noted previously, with the addition of Michelob and Smirnoff vodka.
Table 4.
Alcohol advertisements on internet television programs – July 2014 (four-week summary) – based on four individual reviewers.
Program | Total Number of Episodes Viewed | Total Ads for All Products | Number of Alcohol Ads | Average Alcohol Ads per Episode | Percentage of Ads for Alcohol (%) | Alcohol Brands Advertised |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tosh.O | 20 | 304 | 52 | 2.6 | 17.1 | Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
1000 Ways to Die | 20 | 335 | 40 | 2.0 | 11.9 | Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron, Smirnoff, Svedka |
Law and Order: SVU | 20 | 463 | 3 | 0.2 | 0.6 | Sauza |
CSI | 19 | 550 | 4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | Michelob, Michelob Ultra |
NCIS | 20 | 502 | 14 | 0.7 | 2.8 | Michelob Ultra |
Comedy Central Presents | 16 | 267 | 23 | 1.4 | 8.6 | Bud Light, Coors, Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark |
The Daily Show | 20 | 303 | 56 | 2.8 | 18.5 | Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron, Smirnoff |
The Colbert Report | 20 | 293 | 53 | 2.7 | 18.1 | Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron, Svedka |
Deadliest Warrior | 20 | 432 | 44 | 2.2 | 10.2 | Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
TOTAL | 175 | 3,449 | 289 | 1.7 | 8.4 |
To confirm that the observed high frequency of alcohol advertising was relevant to underage viewers, research team members ages 10, 13, and 18 viewed a total of 142 episodes of 11 programs (including eight episodes each of two programs viewed on a mobile phone), coding a total of 2,692 ads, of which 231 (8.6%) were for alcoholic beverages (Table 5). For six programs, the proportion of advertisements for alcohol was greater than 10%: The Daily Show: 21.7%, The Colbert Report: 18.1%, The Daily Show [mobile phone]: 18.0%, The Colbert Report [mobile phone]: 13.1%, 1000 Ways to Die: 11.0%, and Deadliest Warrior: 10.6%. All six of the programs, along with Tosh.O and CSI, carried an average of one or more alcohol ads per episode. There was no relationship between the age of the viewer and the number of alcohol advertisements. In fact, for four of the programs (Tosh.O, NCIS, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report), the 10-year-old observed the most alcohol ads. The 10-year-old reviewer observed an average of at least one alcohol ad per episode on six of the programs (The Daily Show: 4.0, The Colbert Report: 3.2, Tosh.O: 2.5, NCIS: 1.4, Deadliest Warrior: 1.0, and CSI: 1.0).
Table 5.
Alcohol advertisements on internet television programs – July 2014 – based on underage youth reviewers.
Program | Total Number of Episodes Viewed | Total Ads for All Products | Number of Alcohol Ads | Average Alcohol Ads per Episode | Percentage of Ads for Alcohol (%) | Alcohol Brands Advertiseda |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tosh.O | ||||||
10-year-old | 4 | 64 | 10 | 2.5 | 15.6 | Coors Light, Heineken, Patron, Svedka |
13-year-old | 5 | 82 | 2 | 0.4 | 2.4 | |
18-year-old | 0b | --- | --- | ---- | ----- | |
Total | 9 | 146 | 12 | 1.3 | 8.2 | |
1000 Ways to Die | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 80 | 3 | 0.6 | 3.8 | Bud Light, Corona, Jim Beam, Patron, Smirnoff |
13-year-old | 5 | 80 | 13 | 2.6 | 16.3 | |
18-year-old | 5 | 59 | 8 | 1.6 | 13.6 | |
Total | 15 | 219 | 24 | 1.6 | 11.0 | |
Law and Order: SVU | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 124 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Sauza |
13-year-old | 5 | 74 | 2 | 0.4 | 2.7 | |
18-year-old | 5 | 122 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
Total | 15 | 320 | 2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | |
CSI | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 154 | 5 | 1.0 | 3.2 | Johnny Appleseed, Michelob Ultra |
13-year-old | 5 | 144 | 4 | 0.8 | 2.8 | |
18-year-old | 4 | 148 | 5 | 1.3 | 3.4 | |
Total | 14 | 446 | 14 | 1.0 | 3.1 | |
NCIS | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 149 | 7 | 1.4 | 4.7 | Michelob Ultra |
13-year-old | 5 | 126 | 5 | 1.0 | 4.0 | |
18-year-old | 3 | 102 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
Total | 13 | 377 | 12 | 0.9 | 3.2 | |
Comedy Central Presents | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 85 | 3 | 0.6 | 3.5 | Corona, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
13-year-old | 5 | 89 | 4 | 0.8 | 4.5 | |
18-year-old | 5 | 58 | 7 | 1.4 | 12.1 | |
Total | 15 | 232 | 14 | 0.9 | 6.0 | |
The Daily Show | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 85 | 20 | 4.0 | 23.5 | Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Patron |
13-year-old | 5 | 76 | 17 | 3.4 | 22.4 | |
18-year-old | 5 | 83 | 16 | 3.2 | 19.3 | |
Total | 15 | 244 | 53 | 3.5 | 21.7 | |
The Colbert Report | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 78 | 16 | 3.2 | 20.5 | Corona, Heineken, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron, Svedka |
13-year-old | 5 | 76 | 13 | 2.6 | 17.1 | |
18-year-old | 5 | 83 | 14 | 2.8 | 16.9 | |
Total | 15 | 237 | 43 | 2.9 | 18.1 | |
Deadliest Warrior | ||||||
10-year-old | 5 | 105 | 5 | 1.0 | 4.8 | Bud Light, Corona, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Patron, Smirnoff |
13-year-old | 5 | 99 | 13 | 2.6 | 13.1 | |
18-year-old | 5 | 99 | 14 | 2.8 | 14.1 | |
Total | 15 | 303 | 32 | 2.1 | 10.6 | |
The Daily Show (viewed on mobile phone) | ||||||
18-year-old | 8 | 61 | 11 | 1.4 | 18.0 | Corona, Maker’s Mark, Patron |
The Colbert Report (viewed on mobile phone) | ||||||
18-year-old | 8 | 107 | 14 | 1.8 | 13.1 | Corona, Patron |
GRAND TOTAL | 142 | 2,692 | 231 | 1.6 | 8.6 |
Cumulative total of brands advertised, as viewed by all three underage viewers.
Viewer was unable to watch show on her laptop.
Throughout the study, there was no age verification or affirmation required, and none of the reviewers were signed in such that an age would be indicated.
Discussion
We believe this is the first paper to quantify potential youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet versions of popular television programs. Alcohol advertisements are highly prevalent on these programs, with nine of the 12 shows carrying alcohol ads, and six programs averaging at least one alcohol ad per episode during the four-week study period. There appears to be no difference in alcohol ad exposure for underage and legal age viewers, and the 10-year-old reviewer was able to access the internet version of all nine television programs that carried alcohol advertising, resulting in her exposure to an average of one or more alcohol ads per episode for six of these programs. There are several programs with an especially high frequency of alcohol advertising; the 10-year-old was exposed to an average of four alcohol ads per episode while viewing The Daily Show and three alcohol ads per episode while viewing The Colbert Report.
The alcohol products being advertised on the internet versions of the television programs studied are predominantly those which are popular among underage youth drinkers, based on data from our 2011–12 survey of national youth drinking preferences (Siegel et al., 2013). Of the 13 brands advertised, eight are in the top 35 (out of 898 total brands) consumed by underage drinkers and five are in the top 11.
Existing studies of youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet have focused on either alcohol websites or social media sites, but not on internet versions of television programs. The finding that alcohol advertising is highly prevalent, frequent, and easily accessible to underage youth on the internet versions of television programs is problematic for several reasons.
First, underage youth between the ages of eight and 18 spend approximately one hour per day watching television programs through media channels other than television itself, including the internet and cell phones (Collins et al., 2011). This represents nearly one-quarter (23%) of their total television viewing time (Collins et al., 2011). Currently, the FTC monitors the placement of alcohol advertisements on television programs based on the measured youth audience for the televised versions of these programs. However, it is possible that the actual proportion of underage youth viewers for the internet versions of these programs is higher. Specifically, it is possible that while advertising on a television program may meet the alcohol industry’s self-regulatory criteria of the audience consisting of less than 28.4% underage youth (Beer Institute, 2011; Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, 2011), advertising on the internet version of the same program may not meet that criterion.
Second, although the FTC issued a special order in 2010, requesting alcohol companies to provide information on their internet advertising practices, including the underage youth audiences of web sites on which they run advertising campaigns (Federal Trade Commission, 2014), that order did not specify that companies must include advertising on internet versions of television programs as part of their internet-related marketing report.
Third, unlike alcohol web sites and social media sites, where age verification mechanisms do exist, there are no barriers to underage youth access to the overwhelming majority of the television programs studied in this paper.
The primary limitation of this research is the limited scope of the study. Only a small fraction of internet-based television programs were sampled, and these did not include potential major exposures such as internet versions of televised sporting events and concerts. Nevertheless, this paper represents the first systematic attempt to go beyond exposure that occurs through either alcohol company web sites or social media sites.
A second limitation is that the television programs were not randomly sampled. Thus, conclusions from this study are not generalizable to the population of internet-based television programs. The intent was to study a set of shows known to be popular among adolescents and likely to contain alcohol advertising.
We conclude that there is a substantial potential for youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the internet through internet-based versions of television programs. There are several approaches to address this problem. First, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should require alcohol companies to report the underage youth and adult audiences for internet versions of television programs on which they advertise. Second, the FTC should insist that audience figures used in evaluating advertising placements on the internet versions of these programs be drawn from internet and not television audience data. Third, alcohol trade groups should amend their self-regulatory guidelines to clarify that in deciding whether or not to advertise on internet versions of television programs, the internet audience demographics, rather than television show demographics, should be used. Finally, internet companies such as YouTube, Google, Vine, and Hulu should develop age verification procedures to ensure that alcohol advertisements placed in these media are not shown to underage youth.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [grant number R01 AA020309].
The authors thank Samuel and Miriam Siegel for their help in coding advertisements on the internet versions of the television programs.
Footnotes
Declaration of Interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
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