Self regulations evaluated by young people

1. Selfregulationsevaluatedbyyoungpeople The AMMIE project - Alcohol Marketing Monitoring in Europe Under the Influence: Protecting teens from the impact of alcohol marketing, 21 June 2011, European Parliament (Brussels)

2. Overview presentation • AMMIE project • Monitoring activities • Testing the existingregulations • Advertising Commitee’s judgements versus youngsters’ opinions • Conclusions and recommendations

3. AMMIE Alcohol Marketing Monitoring in Europe AMMIE project • July 2009 till August 2011 • Co-funded by the European Commission • NGOs from Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands Aims • To monitor alcohol marketing systematically • Monitor alcohol advertising independent from commercial interests • Test functioning of alcohol marketing regulations • Include young people in the evaluation of alcohol advertisements • Special attention to the protection of young people Monitoring • Based on a method developed by the Dutch institute for alcohol policy after years of monitoring experience • Monitoring volume and content of alcohol marketing

4. AMMIE Deliverables Countryreports on: • Trends in alcohol marketing • Complaints and the complainingsystems • Exposure of young people (volume) • Alcohol related sport sponsorship Europeanreports on: • Complaints and the complainingsystems • Exposure of young people (volume)

5. AMMIE Involving youth panels To test whether advertisements are appealing to young people: Ask the young people! Youth rating panels: • ± 30 youngsters per country • Aged 12-17 yearsold • 4 ratings in 2010 • 4-6 advertisements per rating • Questions to test the regulations • Questions to test the level of appeal to young people

6. Monitoring alcohol advertising in Italy Monitoring activities: • Adlibrary • Volume data • Systematical check important websites • Outdoor monitoring Testing the regulation system • Filing complaints, with special attention for: • targeting young people/appealing to young people, • social sexual or sportive success, • excessive drinking • Working with youth rating panels

7. Complaining activity in Italy Complaints on 26 alcohol ads - 38 (sub)complaints Complaints filed to: - Institute of Self-Regulation Advertising - IAP • National Authority for Commercial Communication – AGCM • 11 (29%) upheld 20 (53%) not upheld 7 (18%)‏no answer

8. Alcohol adverting regulations in Europe (1) AVMSD (2007) • Only EU statutory regulation • TV and Internet • Concerning ‘appealing for young people’: (a) it may not be aimed specifically at minors or, in particular, depict minors consuming these beverages; (b) it shall not link the consumption of alcohol to enhanced physical performance or to driving; (c) it shall not create the impression that the consumption of alcohol contributes towards social or sexual success;

9. Alcohol adverting regulations in Europe (2) Council Recommendations (2007) • Mostly reflected in self regulation codes • Articles referring to the protection of young people: (b) to ensure that alcoholic beverages are not designed or promoted to appeal to children and adolescents, and paying particular attention inter alia, to the following elements: — the use of styles (such as characters, motifs or colours) associated with youth culture, — featuring children, adolescents, or other young (looking ) models, in promotion campaigns, — implications of social, sexual or sporting success, — encouragement of children and adolescents to drink, including low-price selling to adolescents of alcoholic drinks, — advertising during, or sponsorship of, sporting, musical or other special events which a significant number of children and adolescents attend as actors or spectators, — advertising in media targeted at children and adolescents or reaching a significant number of children and adolescents

10. Testing the regulations (1) Five countries filed complaints to ACC on: • targeting young people/appealing to young people, • Implicating social sexual or sportive success, • Stimulating excessive drinking • Other topics possibly in breach with self regulations codes Focus onfirst 3 topics as these are found to beappealingforyoungpeople

11. Testing the regulations (2) Complaints filed per country

12. Testing the regulations (3) Complaints filed per theme

13. Testing the regulations (4) Asking the opinion of youth rating panels Complaints were rated by young people: - Questions to test the regulations and questions to test the level of appeal: (eg.) • “Is this advertisement targeting your peers?” • “is this advertisement appealing to your peers?” Judgements committee were compared to opinion youngsters

14. Targeting young people? (Italian example) Targeting young people? (Italian example)

15. Targeting young people? (Italian example) YRP: 21 respondents out of 22 think that this advertising is appealing to their peers, 13 also believe that the target groups are children and adolescents (14-17 years old) ACC: complaint not upheld because using cartoons does not necessarily mean targeting children or adolescents

16. Targetingyoungpeople? (Dutch example) Costumizeyourownbottle Acc: this advertisement is not specifically targeted at minors YRP: this advertisement is appealing to our peers (28 out of 37). Quote one of the youngsters: “It seems attractive to children (drawing), while they are advertising for alcohol which is for people above 16 years, this is confusing.”

17. Targetingyoungpeople and implicatingsocialsuccess? (examplefromItaly)

18. Targetingyoungpeople and implicatingsocialsuccess? (examplefromItaly) ACC: the ad does not refer to the relation between alcohol and facilitation of social relationships YRP: all 22 youngsters think that the spot is appealing to their peers, 14 out of 22 believe that the advertisement may give the impression that drinking facilitates social relationships and contributes to social and sexual success.

19. Implication of social and sexualsuccess? (Bulgarianexample)

20. Implication of social and sexualsuccess? (Bulgarianexample) ACC: ad does not imply social and sexual success as a result of alcohol use YRP: ad implies social (11 out of 25) and sexual (18 out of 25) success. 17 out of 25 youngster find the ad appealing.

21. Implication of social succes? (Danishexample)

22. Implication of social succes? (Danishexample) ACC: no link between drinking alcohol and social success because of the humorous nature of the ad YRP: appealing ad (37 out of 40) which links alcohol to social success (26 out of 40) Comment of one of the youngsters: “Simply brilliant! -“The worlds´ best ad ever, no doubt!”

23. Implicatingsportivesuccess? (Danishexample)

24. Implicatingsportivesuccess? (Danishexample) ACC: not targeting minors but linked to sportive success YRP: very appealing (38 out of 40) and linked to sportive success (28 out of 40)

25. Comparing judgement ACC to opinion young people(1) Complaints not upheld by ACC *youthdisagreeswith ACC whentheystatedthat the advertisement was appealingforthem (ACC judgeontargetingyouth)

26. Comparing judgement ACC to opinion young people(2) Complaints upheld by ACC *youthagreeswith ACC whentheystatedthat the advertisement was notappealingforthem. (ACC judgedontargetingyoungpeople).

27. Conclusions (1) • Many complaints about advertisements were not upheld • 199 complaintsagainst 84 advertisements • 72% notupheld, 23% upheld • Advertising Standards Committees accept relatively large amounts of alcohol advertising campaigns which are appealing to young people • Alcohol advertisingwhich is notspecificallytargetingyoungpeoplecanstillbeveryappealing to youngpeople • Many advertisements are, judging by the views of the Youth Panels, in breach with the Council Recommendation and AVMSD. • Many alcohol advertisements contain features from youth culture • Style elements of youth culture (animations, music, colours, etc). • Thus, found to be in breach with the Council Recommendations (2001). • And with Article 15 of the Audio Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD). • Humour is an appealing style element to young people, but not addressed in self regulatory codes • The use of irony legitimates other elements in breach with the code

28. Conclusions (2) • The formulation of the self-regulation articles is too precise • Existing regulations do not protect young people • many cases the narrow description in the regulations is an easy way to reject a complaint. • Two examples: - Alcohol advertising may not specifically be aimed at young people leaves the freedom for advertising appealing to young people as well as adults - Alcohol advertising should not suggest that their alcohol use leads to social, sexual or sportive success, but it can still associate drinking alcohol these types of success • Acceptance of self-regulation in Europe contributes to alcohol use among children and youths / minors. • Self regulation for alcohol advertising does not work as it doesn’t protect young people

29. Recommendations (1) • Review existing regulations regarding the content of alcohol advertising independent from commercial interests • Avoid confusing and ambiguous codes, state what is allowed rather than what is not allowed • Update Council Recommendations to protect young people • Update the AVMSD to protect young people • Implement evidence based knowledge in alcohol regulations (STAP,2010) • Alcohol advertisements should be evaluated according to young people’s interpretation and not according to the intention of the advertiser. • Content restrictions should address all elements that prove to be appealing to young people (e.g. lifestyle images, humour). • Content restrictions should limit advertisements that young people find appealing, even if these are not specifically targeting minors or are specifically appealing to minors (but to adults as well). • Effective regulation of alcohol advertising covers both the content and the volume of alcohol advertising