MEDIA & MARKETING: The advertising community was taken by surprise this week when our Bass-drinking Taoiseach announced that legislation was being prepared to ban alcohol advertising certainly before 10 p.m. and also on public transport and in cinemas showing movies to under 18s.

Advertisers and the drinks industry have been discussing the issue of alcohol-related advertising for some time with the Department of Health, but the specific nature of the plans announced by the Taoiseach took people by surprise.

With a new puritanism sweeping the Government benches, it would seem that some kind of ban is eventually going to emerge and the €42 million spent each year advertising alcohol- related products could be at stake, with TV companies and outdoor advertisers facing the biggest losses.

Based on published rate cards, the Institute of Advertising Practitioners of Ireland (IAPI) estimates that, in 2002, €4.1 million was spent on print, €1 million on radio, €13.1 million on television and €2.4 million in cinemas.

But the biggest losers could be the outdoor specialists such as Viacom, Clear Channel, Avenue Media and JC Decaux, which, along with others, placed €22.5 million of alcohol-related ad space in 2002.

This week one observer explained it another way: "Advertising and marketing has got to go somewhere. If the TV and outdoor groups don't get it, then ambient media agencies and sponsorship vehicles will probably clean up instead."

The big media buyers in these areas have got to be worried about the Government's plans, but a more fundamental consideration is whether the move by the Taoiseach and his Minister for Health is a form of tokenism? And are they in danger of handing a big commercial advantage to the Skys and Channel 4s of this world?

The big problem is that, while Mr Ahern and Mr Martin can get tough with Irish advertisers and Irish-based TV channels (i.e. RTÉ, TG4 and TV3), how can they regulate channels based in other jurisdictions?

According to sources, the drinks companies are prepared to switch to stations based outside this jurisdiction.

These channels (Sky One, Sky News, E4, Channel 4 and UTV) already accept Irish advertising and there is little doubt they would be the big beneficiaries of any ban, although a 10 p.m. watershed would have a more reduced affect.

The regulatory authorities in Britain, the BACC, are far less stringent about alcohol-related advertising than we are in Ireland.

TV3 has already warned that all forms of advertising should be covered by legislation. "Any restrictions on advertising, if imposed, should be imposed across the board and incorporate all elements of advertising including outdoor, in-store, general promotions e.t.c."

The station has also expressed concern about the British channels benefiting from the legislative zeal of an Irish Government. "If imposed in Ireland only, without proper consultation and support, the Government would effectively be providing overseas print and broadcast media such as Sky with unrestricted access to advertising here," said a spokeswoman.

She warned that advertisers "would simply overcome Irish restrictions by targeting Irish consumers with UK-based media".

For the Government to do anything about this, they would have to amend the EU Television Without Frontiers directive and that would be a mammoth task, requiring broad European support.

With youth audiences in particular tuning in to stations like E4 and Sky One, a ban in Ireland could prove to be very ineffective.

The managing director of McCann Erickson, Ms Orlaith Blaney, whose company created some of the most ambitious beer commercials of recent years, questions how the Government's plans might work.

"The restrictions on advertising, as regards the 10 p.m. TV watershed, makes some sense, but the ASAI [Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland\] clearly states that alcohol advertising should not be placed in media clearly intended for minors. I am not sure how you can fully rely on the 'media intended for minors' rule - we all know 12-year-olds watch TV programmes after 10 p.m. like Jackass and Podge and Rodge," she said.

Radio deals

With 2003 advertising returns still depressed at many media groups, radio stations are trying to bring in money via other areas. Sponsorship, while still a poor relation of advertising, is still helping the bottom lines of many stations.

This week Today FM brought in €200,000 in sponsorship for Tom Dunne's Pet Sounds programme via a deal with Siemens Mobile.

Mr Dunne has carved out a serious niche on weekday evenings, with 2 FM's Dave Fanning trying to hold his listener base against the Something Happens frontman.

Already this year, Today FM has signed a € 300,000 deal for sponsorship of Matt Cooper's the Last Word, while NewsTalk has done a deal with Nissan Ireland for €100,000 for the Right Hook show.

However, the biggest sponsorship deal of them all continues to be RTÉ's Late, Late Show deal with Renault, costing in excess of €1 million.

Racing for TV3

TV3 is to target the racing fraternity with a programme going out on Friday nights during the summer.

The series will provide racing enthusiasts with an insider's guide to the world of horse racing and will run for 13 weeks. The series will be sponsored by Horse Racing Ireland and presented by Brian Gleeson, who will be joined by studio guests drawn from the industry. Studio discussion will include news on significant events on the racing calendar, profiles of leading industry figures.

Advertising, media or marketing news or comments can be emailed to eoliver@irish-times.ie