Online alcohol advertising put in perspective | WARC | The Feed

Online alcohol advertising put in perspective

Marketing of alcohol beverages forms a tiny fraction of the digital advertising seen by consumers, according to a study by the World Federation of Advertisers. 

Why it matters

For more than a decade, health bodies have expressed concern about the impact on children in particular and society generally from the online marketing of alcohol. The World Health Organization has pushed for tighter regulation of the industry, arguing that “the association between exposure to alcohol marketing and levels of alcohol consumption and harm is well established”. 

The results of this research conducted by Nielsen, a global study using avatar technology*, may allay fears that children are needlessly exposed to alcohol ads online (and, by implication, reassure advertisers they are targeting the right people).

Key findings 

• 0.82% of all ads seen online are for alcohol (all ages);
• A minor would be served one alcohol ad per 420 websites visited;
• This would translate to a minor being served only one alcohol ad per 18 hours 41 minutes spent online.

Key quote

“There is a narrative that suggests that minors are being bombarded by alcohol ads. This study demonstrates this simply isn’t the case and offers useful perspective in terms of the size of the perceived problem” – Stephan Loerke, CEO, World Federation of Advertisers.

* Using avatars that mimic the real experience of being online,121,232 ads were analysed, captured by the avatars visiting 100 URLs per market over a period of three weeks in October 2021. 

Sourced from WFA [Image: Pexels]