Magazine Alcohol Advertising 2008-2010: Results from a Content Analysis

Although adult and youth exposure to alcohol advertising in magazines is declining as a result of shifts of advertising dollars to television and to digital media, the content of alcohol advertising in magazines is still emblematic of the content of larger advertising campaigns of which these print advertisements are a part. Surveillance of youth exposure to media messages encouraging alcohol use has been mandated by the U.S. Congress. While much of this surveillance has concerned placement of alcohol advertising and the audiences gained by those placements, content restrictions are a substantial portion of alcohol industry self-regulatory codes, and an additional important area for public health surveillance. This study examines all individual creative executions for beer and distilled spirits products appearing in U.S. national magazines from 2008 to 2010. Two trained coders analyzed both manifest and latent content in the advertising, as well as all apparent violations of alcohol industry self-regulatory codes. Manifest content included settings, nutritional information, imagery and activities; latent content concerned appeal to specific genders, racial/ethnic groups, age groups, and types of drinkers (particularly heavy or dependent). Results of the content analysis and recommendations for further research and regulatory and self-regulatory action are provided.