Characteristics of Outdoor Alcohol Ads in Inner-City Neighborhoods

Aims. We describe the structure, content, and neighborhood characteristics of outdoor alcohol advertisements in inner-city neighborhoods in 10 U.S. cities from 2003 to 2005 (n=246) using observational data from the Malt Liquor and Homicide study. Methods. We examined several aspects of the content of ads including beverage featured, model characteristics, visual impact, and themes. Descriptive methods such as counts and frequencies were used to analyze the structure and content of ads, and geo-spatial maps were developed to examine the neighborhood characteristics of ads. Neighborhood characteristics included percent black, percent female head of household, and percent unemployed. Results. Outdoor alcohol ads were common on billboards, featured beer products, focused on product quality, rarely used human models, and had a discreet or moderate visual impac. Also, billboard ads varied geographically by neighborhood characteristics such as racial/ethnic concentration, percent female head of household, and percent unemployed in inner-city neighborhoods in Atlanta and San Francisco. Conclusion. Results suggest that billboards are commonly used to market and promote alcohol products in inner cities. Strategies are discussed to reduce the promotion of alcohol in inner cities.