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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism RESEARCH MONOGRAPH 28 - The Effects of the Mass Media on the Use and Abuse of Alcohol U.S.DEPARTMENTOFHEALTHANDHUMANSERVICES Public Health Service National Institutes ofHealth Research Monograph No. 28 THE EFFECTS OF THE MASS MEDIA ON THE USE AND ABUSE OF ALCOHOL Edited by: Susan E. Martin, Ph.D., widi the assistance ofCaptain Patricia Mail U.S. DEPARTMENTOFHEALTHANDHUMANSERVICES Public HealthSer\ice NationalInstitutesofHealth NationalInstitute onAlcoholAbuseandAlcoholism 6000ExecutiveBoulevard Bethesda,MD 20892-7003 NIHPubHcationNo. 95-3743 NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH LIBRARY - SEP 3 1996 BLDG 10, 10 CENTER DR. 8ETHESDA, MD 20892-1150 Thismonographis basedontheWorking Group on the Effects ofthe Mass Media on the Use and Abuse ofAlcohol sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) that met on September 24-25, 1992. About the Editor: Susan E. Martin, Ph.D., is a health science administrator in the Prevention Research Branch, Division ofClinical and Prevention Research, NIAAA. NIAAA has obtained permission from the copyright holders to reproduce figures and tables throughout this monograph. Further reproduction ofthese materials is prohibit- ed without specific permission ofthe copyright holders. All other material contained in this monograph, excepted quoted passages from copyrighted sources, is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission from NIAAA or the authors. Citation ofthe source is appreciated. The U.S. Government does not endorse or favor any specific commercial product (or commodity, service, or company). Trade or proprietary names (or company names) appearing in this publication are used only because they are considered essential in the context ofthe studies reported herein. The opinions expressed herein are those ofthe authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position ofNIAAA or any other part ofthe National Institutes ofHealth. NIH Publication No. 95-3743 National Institutes ofHealth Printed 1995 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Introduction The Mass Media, Alcohol, and Culture: An Overview 1 Alcohol in American Culture George Gerhner 2 AMeta-Analytic Perspective on "Alcohol inAmerican Culture" Joseph Gtisfidd 31 WhatWe Really Know: Review ofResearch on Alcohol Advertising and Media Content 3 Survey and Experimental Research on Effects ofAlcohol Advertising CharlesK. Atkin 39 4 AMethodological Interpretation ofthe Experimental and Survey Research Evidence ConcerningAlcohol Advertising Effects John L Lastovicka 69 5 Alcohol Advertising and Alcohol Consumption: Econometric Studies HenrySuffer 83 — 6 "AlcoholAdvertising andAlcohol Consumption: Econometric Studies" Comments Victor Tremblay 101 J. 7 TelevisionAlcohol Portrayals, Alcohol Advertising, andAlcohol Expectancies Among Children andAdolescents JoelW.Grube 105 8 Prevention as Skills Training: AnApproach to Lessening the Impact ofAlcoholAdvertising R. Lorraine Collins 123 9 Portrayals and Effects ofAlcohol in Television Entertainment Programming JaneD. Brown and TrevyMcDonald 133 10 Viewers' Interpretation ofTelevision Images ofAlcohol AndersHansen 151 Advertising and Marketing: Applying the Principles, Practices, and Outcomes to Alcoholic Beverages 11 Studies ofthe Effects ofAlcohol Advertising: Two UnderexploredAspects Esther Thorson 159 12 Advertising Principles, Practices, and Outcomes: Applicability to Alcohol Marketing JeromeD. Williams 197 13 Nontraditional Media and Promotions in the Marketing ofAlcoholic Beverages David W. StewartandRonaldRice 209 14 Conducting Research on Nontraditional Media in the Marketing ofAlcoholic Beverages MichaelB, Mazis 239 15 ReconceptualizingAlcohol Advertising Effects: A Consumer Psychology Perspective JoelB. Cohen 245 Health Promotion: Public Service Announcements, Media Campaigns, and Media Advocacy 16 Mass Media and PubHc Health: Moving the Focus From the Individual To the Environment Lawrence Wallack and William DeJon£[ 253 17 The Nature and Effectiveness ofMediaAdvocacy, Counteradvertising, and Health Promotion Messages Sally Casswell 269 A Synthesis ofthe Issues 18 Alcohol and the Mass Media: Issues, Approaches, and Research Directions Susan E. Martin 277 Appendix Participants and Attendees Lists 299 ii FOREWORD Alcohol appears frequently in the mass media. Viewers may see beer ads in televised sports events, spirits ads in magazines, TVprograms that take place in bars, and product placements in movies. Despite the conventional wisdom that advertising must have an effect on viewers' attitudes and behavior toward drinking, scientific knowledge in this area is limited. The contents of this volume represent a renewed effort by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to assess the current state ofknowledge and identify directions for additional research that may contribute to the ongoing poUcy debates on the presentation ofalcohol in the mass media. The papers herein presented were initially prepared for discussion at the Workshop on the Effects ofthe Mass Media on the Use andAbuse ofAlcohol thatwas held in September 1992. The richness ofthe dialogue that ensued has led to pubhcation not only ofthose papers but ofthe edited comments ofdiscussants and a synthesis ofthe discussion itself There are many interesting questions about alcohol and advertising, but the one that dominates the discussion is whether advertising accelerates or otherwise contributes to the initiation ofdrinking by youths. This debate ranges from the view stated by many representatives of the alcohol beverage industry and the media that advertising only affects brandpreference to the prevention and consumer activistswho assert that alcohol advertising promotes drinking by underage youths. The Executive Branch, Congress, State policymakers, local citizens' groups, and national organizations all have entered the policydebate atone time oranother,anditislikelythatthe debatewillcontinueforsome time. Despite the high profile ofthis poHcy debate, science has few answers due, inlarge part,tothemethodologicalandmeasurementdifficultiesdescribedinthisvolume. These problems are likely to grow rather than diminish with the shift ofmarketing resources from traditional radio, TV, and print advertising to integrated marketing tactics and mechanisms. Yet ourneed forfindings has never been greatergiven the conflict between common sense and scientific evidence in addressing the issue. The issue ofalcohol and the mass media is one in which science might make an important contribution to public policy, although it has not done so thus far. This volume is intended to stimulate such poHcy-relevant research by synthesizing knowledge, identify- ingmethodologicalHmitations and alternative researchdesigns, andsuggestingmore cre- ative ways to address important research questions. Clearly, NIAAA does not endorse all ofthe statements that appear in this volume; these statements represent the opinions and views ofthe diverse group ofindividuals who par- ticipated in the workshop. Nevertheless, we believe that there is value in exposing the exchange ofideas and perspectives to awider audience and hope that theymight take up the scientific challenge that this issue poses. Enoch Cordis, M.D. Director National Institute onAlcoholAbuse andAlcohoUsm iii