The new code for alcohol advertising is welcome, but measures to reduce alcohol-related harm are still needed, writes Michael Patten
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland's draft general advertising code is a milestone on the path to laying down a new series of rules to govern what can and cannot be advertised on the broadcast media in Ireland, and when ads for certain type of "sensitive" products may or may not be shown.
The BCI's code deals with a range of issues including the issue of alcohol advertising. This has long been a sensitive subject and in recent months critics of the alcohol industry have been agitating to secure an outright ban on any advertising of alcohol in the Irish media - print or broadcast.
While rejecting such a draconian measure which is not supported by the international evidence base, the drinks industry itself understands and supports the need to minimise the exposure of young people to alcohol ads and to ensure that such advertising is conducted in a considered, responsible manner. Indeed, the industry has collaborated with advertising, media and other stakeholders in the introduction of a series of voluntary codes covering what can and cannot be shown in alcohol advertising and when such ads can and cannot be shown. For example, for the past several years or so the industry withdrew advertising of "alcopops" from the Irish broadcast media under the provisions of these voluntary codes.
Having examined this whole issue carefully, the draft BCI code rejects the call for an outright ban (a call similarly rejected by most other governments in Europe and elsewhere) and opts instead for a series of clear, sensible and workable standards which support appropriate, responsible and targeted commercial communications for alcohol beverages and defines those advertising and marketing practices that are unacceptable.
It is a balanced approach which I believe will find favour with most people, who would recoil from the extremity of an outright ban but who also want to ensure that advertising for alcohol is conducted in an appropriate, responsible and careful manner.
It is also a vindication of many of the initiatives which the drinks industry has already started in this area. For example, the draft code includes the new voluntary codes of practice for alcohol advertising agreed at the end of last year between the drinks industry, the Department of Health and Children and the media and advertising industries. This will have the effect of making compliance with the codes obligatory for all broadcasters regulated by the BCI and, furthermore, the BCI will monitor commercial communications for compliance with the codes.
While some clarification is required as to the respective monitoring roles of the BCI and the Alcohol Marketing Communications Monitoring Body established by the Department of Health, the drinks industry welcomes these proposals as a further strengthening of the overall regulatory process for alcohol advertising.
The drinks industry will also welcome the de-facto endorsement in the BCI proposal of the role and contribution of Central Copy Clearance Ireland, which was established in 2003 by the drinks and advertising industries to pre-vet all alcohol advertising prior to publication and which has led to a significant fall in both complaints made and complaints upheld about alcohol ads in terms of advertising content.
The industry will also welcome comments made by BCI chairman Conor Maguire at the publication of the draft code, acknowledging that the drinks industry has been both "responsible and compliant" in respect of advertising codes.
The development of the BCI draft general advertising code has been underway in parallel with a review of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland advertising code.
While the ASAI code is a self-regulatory measure for the advertising industry and covers other media in addition to broadcast, it would be desirable that these two code initiatives are in some way harmonised to remove any ambiguity as to which standards and interpretations are in force and to give absolute clarity to advertisers, their agencies and media owners.
The issue of alcohol is an emotive one and sometimes the actual facts can be lost in the heat of argument. Relevant facts in respect of the advertising issue include that per capita alcohol consumption in Ireland is actually in decline since 2001 (most research being published by the anti-alcohol lobby deals with the late 1990s when the consumption figures were increasing); the advertising of alcohol is already a very restricted business; the industry has been to the fore in operating voluntary bans for the advertising of certain products, such as alcopops, and the consensus of research undertaken internationally shows little linkage between advertising of alcohol and the overall level of alcohol consumption in a country.
Indeed, a recent British government strategy to reduce alcohol related harm reviewed the available scientific evidence on this issue and concluded: "There is no clear case on the effect of advertising on behaviour. One recent study suggests that such an effect may exist, but is contradicted by others which find no such case. So the evidence is not sufficiently strong to suggest that measures, such as a ban on advertising or tightening existing restrictions about scheduling, should be imposed by regulation."
It would be naive to expect that the publication of this code will quieten the clamour of those who will only be placated by an outright ban on advertising alcohol. But it must be hoped that the reasonableness and focus on evidence-based arguments shown by the BCI in respect of this issue will be reflected by other contributors to this debate.
Meantime we need measures to reduce alcohol-related harm by changing the culture and attitude towards alcohol by certain sections of the community, an aspiration the drinks industry fully supports as critical to delivering sustainability. Delivering this outcome is of course about responsible marketing of alcohol beverages.
It is also about full enforcement of existing legislation governing the sale and consumption of alcohol, and about driving consumer awareness and attitude change towards enjoying the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Michael Patten is chairman of the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland