Marin Institute Says ‘Free the Bowl’ from Booze

Millions watching the Super Bowl last Sunday tuned in not only for the football game, but also for the humorous ads that have become a show in themselves.

But the ones promoting alcohol aren’t a laughing matter for the Marin Institute, which on the night of Feb. 4 concluded its second annual “Free the Bowl” anti-alcohol ad contest at the Smith Rafael Film Center.

The Marin Institute, a nonprofit alcohol-industry watchdog, created the contest to engage youth in countering what it calls irresponsible advertising by coming up with anti-alcohol advertisements of their own.

“It’s a national contest, and over the two years we’ve had over 100 kids from 30 states enter,” said Marin Institute Advocacy Director Michael Scippa, “and every submission nailed the core message, which was that seductive alcohol ads shown during the Super Bowl are inappropriate for the millions of vulnerable young viewers who watch the event. The NFL and CBS call this a family-friendly event, and we disagree because there’s a solid four minutes of beer advertisements, which are funny and memorable, full of young faces and situations that make people laugh. It’s very subtle, but there’s no question in our mind of the exploitative alcohol marketing going on.”