The Oregonian

Spillage in alcohol advertising

Research by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth shows that too many ads violate the industry's own code

10/22/03

T he insidious art of "product placement" reaches new levels of sophistication, if you can call it that, with the casting of the Coors twins in "Scary Movie 3," opening Friday.

The movie is rated PG-13. Although the fine print ("Parents strongly cautioned") might give some parents pause, few read the fine print. Most will interpret this rating to mean that the movie is fine for 14 and older.

Coors says the audience for the two previous "Scary" shows was overwhelmingly older than 21, and there's no reason to think this "Scary" will be any different. But we think this partnership between Coors and Miramax -- and their co-promotion of the movie -- raises all kinds of questions for anyone concerned about underage drinking.

In fact, the movie is only one example of a troubling spillover in which marketing aimed at legal drinkers is reaching many underage drinkers as well. Although the spillover isn't completely preventable short of banning liquor ads, the industry could do a much better job of regulating itself.

Parents could keep a better eye on the process, and they could apply more pressure to industry executives, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission was told last week. Right now, a large chunk of alcohol advertising reaches young people, 12 to 20, far more often than it reaches adults, said David Jernigan of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth.

In theory, the alcohol industry abides by voluntary codes, proscribing the use of underage models, for instance, and banning depictions of drunkenness and lewd images. But ads Jernigan collected show repeated violations.

The Coors twins haven't been around long enough to be called icons perhaps, but they're increasingly recognizable. We're guessing the twins have the potential to trample that beer-campaign stalwart of long ago, the Clydesdale horse.

The twins' subliminal message -- double your fun by drinking beer -- definitely isn't appropriate for kids. The nonprofit Marin Institute in California plans a small protest at theaters Friday, with handouts saying, "What's so scary about 'Scary Movie 3'?

"It's promoting beer to youth."

What's scary, in our view, is that underage drinking is a serious problem, young teens are bombarded with messages that glamorize drinking, and parents aren't paying much attention.