John MacDonald: You can't put alcohol violence down to marketing

These researchers calling today for a ban on alcohol marketing and sponsorship sound to me like they’re living in the past.

Maybe it’s the circles I mix in. But I reckon things have come ahead leaps and bounds when it comes to our drinking culture in New Zealand.

And before you start yelling “what about things like crate day mate?” - I’m not saying we’ve got it perfect. But I think we’ve moved on from any decade before the current one - when what these experts are saying today might have carried more weight.

So health promotion advisor Lizzie Barratt and researcher Dr Debbie Hager are saying that, with people drinking more at this time of the year, there is a spike in violence - especially by men against women and kids.

I’m not going to argue with them on that one. But is advertising to blame for that? I don’t think so.

But it’s not just an end-of-year thing. They say there needs to be a permanent ban on alcohol marketing and sponsorship to protect women and children from violence.

They say a ban would eliminate alcohol’s role in reinforcing a masculine drinking culture and eliminate its link with sporting activities. And, if we do nothing, things will only get worse.

But the alcohol adverts I see these days are way different to the ones we used to see. For starters, they are way less “blokey”. They also seem to be promoting restraint, as much as anything.

I really started noticing this a couple of years ago. Maybe further back than that. When the beer companies seemed to be putting as much effort into advertising their zero-alcohol products, as their other products.

So doesn’t that diminish the argument for a marketing ban and sponsorship ban?

What’s more, whatever I personally choose to drink has nothing to do with what I see on a billboard or whatever beer logo I might see on a rugby jersey.

I’m not saying that the alcohol companies should be allowed to run ads encouraging us to get tanked.

I‘m just saying that I don’t think banning alcohol ads and banning alcohol sponsorships would stop the mongrels who do get pissed and go home and beat up their partners and kids.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from newstalksb.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
These researchers, these researchers calling today for a ban on
alcohol marketing and sponsorship, they sound to me like they're
living in the past. Maybe it's the circles I mix in,
but I reckon things have come ahead, leaps and bounds
when it comes to our drinking culture in New Zealand.
And before you start yelling, oh yeah, mate, what about

(00:33):
what about bloom and crak day mate, I'm not saying
we're perfect, all right, not saying we've God at all susted,
but I reckon we have moved on from any decade
before the current one when what these experts are calling
for today might have carried more weight as far as
I'm concerned anyway. So, health promotion advisor Lizzie Barrett and

(00:55):
researcher doctor Debbie Hager are saying today that with people
drinking more at this time of the year, there is
a spike in violence, especially by men against women and kids.
I'm not going to argue with them on that one,
but as advertising and sponsorship to blame for that, I
don't think. So it's not just end of year Christmas

(01:16):
New Year either, that's not just an end of year
Christmas festive season thing. They say, there needs to be
a permanent ban on alcohol marketing and sponsorship to protect
women and children from violence full stop. They say, what
it would do, what a band would do, is it
would eliminate alcohol's role in reinforcing a masculine drinking culture.

(01:39):
And the band would eliminate alcohol's links with sporting activities.
And they say, if we do nothing, we do nothing.
If we keep it as it is, things are only
going to get worse that without a band, where we'll
just see alcohol's harmful influence on gender violence get worse,
more women, more kids on the receiving end of this violence.

(02:03):
That's what they say. But here's why I think they
sound like their living in the past. The alcohol adverts
I see these days, they are way different to the
ones we used to see. Well, for starters, they're less blokey,
aren't they? Way less blokey? How many flannel shirts do
you see and alcohol adds these days? And they also
seem to be promoting restraint as much as anything. I

(02:26):
really noticed this, or started to notice it probably a
couple of years ago. Maybe further back than that, when
the beer companies and the one companies seem to be
putting as much effort into advertising and promoting their zero
alcohol products as much as their other products. So doesn't

(02:47):
that diminish the argument for a marketing ban and a
sponsorship ban. What's more, whatever I personally choose to drink
has nothing to do with what I've seen on a billboard,
or what I've seen in a magazine, or what logo
I might have seen on a rugby jersey. In fact,
advertiser has no impact at all on whether I drink.

(03:10):
You run an alcohol company, you might not want to
hear that. And I can say that right from the start,
right from the start that I had my first drink,
I was not influenced by billboards. I was not influenced
by alcohol marketing and sponsorship. What's more, current rules around
alcohol advertising they're pretty clear. They say that alcohol advertising

(03:32):
and promotion must demonstrate responsibility and low risk alcohol consumption.
Or quote the rules directly, they say, quote, alcohol advertising
and promotion must not portray or represent irresponsible, harmful, or
excessive consumption of alcohol, for example, but not limited to rapid, heavy,
or frequent consumption end of quote. And fair enough too.

(03:57):
I mean, I'm not saying today that the alcohol companies
should be allowed to run ads encouraging us to get tanked.
I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying that
I don't think a ban on marketing and sponsorship as
a way to go. I don't think banning alcohol ads
and banning alcohol sponsorships would make one bit of difference.
You tell me if you think otherwise, But I don't

(04:19):
think banning the ads would make one bit of difference
in terms of the mongrels who get pissed, go home
and beat up their partners and kids. These researchers do, though,
But what do you think would it be a good
thing to shut down all alcohol advertising and all alcohol sponsorships.
Would it be a good thing or not?

Speaker 1 (04:41):
For more from Category Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.