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Alcohol Advertising on the Internet and Websites

The Beer Institute, the Wine Institute and the Distilled Spirits Council all have advertising and marketing codes to regulate the advertising of beer, wine and distilled spirits, respectively. These codes apply to electronic media such as radio and television as well as print media such as magazines and newspapers.

However, these alcohol advertising and marketing codes haven’t addressed emerging issues posed by the burgeoning internet. For example, there are recognized and accepted  ways to estimate the age  distribution of  radio listeners, TV viewers and print readers. But as of yet, there are no generally available means to measure the age distribution of website visitors.

To address this and other problems the Distilled Spirits Council  (DISCUS) has developed and implemented  a new set of advertising and marketing guidelines that apply specifically to the internet.  The guidelines are comprehensive and apply to all paid and unpaid  placements by or under the control of  advertisers, including advertising on third-party websites, video advertisements, audio mentions, internet banners, pop-ups, sponsorships, user-generated content (including blogs), and other types of internet/digital advertising or marketing.

Advertising and marketing materials placed in this medium will be subject to the  DISCUS Code of Responsible Practices for Beverage Alcohol Advertising and Marketing  and also its associated  Code Review Board.

To learn more about the new internet advertising and marketing guidelines, visit the DISCUS website (www.discus.org)

Reference:
  • Website of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

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