Youth Overexposed: Alcohol Advertising in Magazines, 2001 to 2003

Youth Overexposed: Alcohol Advertising in Magazines, 2001 to 2003

Distilled spirits and beer advertising in national magazines between 2001 and 2003 consistently reached more underage youth than adults on a per capita basis, according to an analysis by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) of 10,455 alcohol ads costing almost $1 billion. Major findings from this analysis include the following:

  • The beer industry led the way in this "overexposure" of underage youth, delivering 52%, 57%, and 48% more advertising to underage youth than to adults on a per capita basis in 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively.
  • The distilled spirits industry delivered 33%, 23% and 20% more advertising to underage youth than to adults on a per capita basis in 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively. However, the dominance in spending by distilled spirits companies (see below) meant that the volume of distilled spirits advertising reaching underage youth overwhelmed that of beer.
  • Collectively, underage youth overexposure to alcohol advertising declined from 26% to 15% during this period as companies moved more of their ad placements to publications with 30% or less underage youth readership (see below), the spending on advertising for "alcopops" declined, and wine advertising continued its trend of not overexposing underage youth in general.
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics

Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.

Quick View

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.