23-08-2013, 04:51 PM
Alcohol Advertising and Advertising Bans: A Survey of Research Methods, Results, and
Policy Implications
ABSTRACT
This paper surveys the literatures on advertising bans and alcohol consumption or abuse, and
advertising expenditures and alcohol consumption. Studies of state-level bans of billboards are
examined as well as studies of international bans that cover broadcasting media. For
expenditures, the survey concentrates on econometric methods and the existence of an industry
advertising-sales response function. Selected results from survey-research studies of advertising
and youth alcohol behaviors also are discussed. It concludes with, advertising bans do not reduce
alcohol consumption or abuse; advertising expenditures do not have a market wide expansion
effect; and survey-research studies of youth behaviors are seriously incomplete as a basis for
public policy. Results of the survey are applied to the Supreme Court's Central Hudson test for
constitutionality of restrictions on commercial speech.