| No Beer Ads, No Jobs...No Problem? |
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By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr. |
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 The Health Minister in South Africa wants to ban advertisers from promoting alcoholic beverages and products.
The minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, expressed that a "complete and total ban" would be necessary for the country to get back on track to gain control of the substance-related abuses that are occurring.
And of course, the market goes wild. A marketing analyst in the article said that those actions could result in a loss of R2,6 billion to the nation, which is about $378.9 million in U.S. currency. But why attack advertising?
Another minister in the article believes that the "consumption of alcohol glamourised in advertising and the resultant alcohol abuse outweighed the economic impact the ban would have." Here is quite the ethical dilemmia. Of course no advertiser or marketer would ever condone alcohol abuse; far from it. But can advertisers in areas of "rampant" alcohol abuse be held responsible for the actions of others? SABMiller, a major beer player in the region, responded that they do believe something should be done to improve the quality of life, but other ways to accomplish the goal should be considered.
Advertising and marketing is the arm through which businesses and organizations communicate to their audiences. We know that. So if a problem exists, if there is a rift between parties, when should one call it quits in communicating? Has the government done enough to communicate its side with the AdPeople who represent these alcohol brands?
Has the ad industry received adequate time to respond?
This is not a new issue. Most United States citizens have learned about the Prohibition era. Great Britian, Russia, and other European countries have attempted bans on alcohol advertising to no avail. Is this a situation where the parties involved require a history lesson?
In the first article mentioned, the marketing analyst predicts that the ban could place hundreds of ad people out of jobs. More unemployment. The analyst believes that companies could lose out of millions in sponsorships, licenses, and endorsements; a serious economic impact.
Is banning alcohol advertising truly worth the immediate loss in revenue, if predictions pour true?
If research clearly indicates that a direct, positive correlation exists with alcohol consumption and advertising dollars, then the government has a strong argument in its direction. If no such correlation exists, then let the ad industry defend itself before walking away from the table. The ball, it seems, is in the ad industry's court. Let's see how we respond.
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