About This Photo
Alcohol Advertising
The main point of this poster was to explain the myths suggested by alcohol advertisements. In the middle of the poster, I listed the seven myths alcohol advertisers want us to believe. They are: Drinking is a risk-free activity. You can’t survive without drinking. Problem drinking behaviors are normal. Alcohol is a magic potion that will transform you. Sports and alcohol go together. If alcohol were truly dangerous, the media would tell us. Alcohol companies promote moderation in drinking.
I then gave a few statistics regarding deaths and alcohol and traffic accidents and alcohol. At the bottom of the poster, I put three Absolut vodka advertisements. I then explained, “Absolut vodka ads are an easily recognizable series of advertisements, which promote brand loyalty to teens who associate vodka with Absolut.” Above these ads I put another, which claimed that if you run out of their wine, you’ll have your own Y2K problem. This ad uses the myth that you can’t survive without drinking, suggesting that a New Year’s Party won’t be fun with their wine.
In the top right corner, I put an ad for Knob Creek Bourbon. It shows a computer screen with the words, “chapter one, page one,” it then asks the audience what they are waiting for. I ad supports the myth that problem drinking behaviors are normal because it suggests that now is as good a time as any to drink Knob Creek. This mindset is a sign of alcoholism.
In the top left corner, I put an ad for Bailey’s that says, “You met your old sorority sisters and you were the only one who got carded.” This ad claims that by drinking Bailey’s, you look younger than everyone around you. This suggests the myth that alcohol is a magic potion that will transform you.
Below this ad, I put one which says, “Enjoying our whisky responsibly calls for a certain amount of self-restraint. Which her in Glenlivet is no small task.” The original ad showed a man sitting on a very large pyramid of whisky barrels. This ad uses the myth that alcohol companies promote moderation in drinking. It suggests to the audience that with whisky as good as Glenlivet, responsible drinking will be very difficult.
I also put on the poster another explanation of the myth that alcohol companies promote drinking in moderation. I put yellow arrows that point to the promotions of responsible drinking on the ads. Most of these warnings were very small and tucked in at the bottom of the ad. I saw a few that I didn’t fit on the poster with yellow background and small white type for the warnings, making it nearly invisible.
Again, I didn’t use any real propaganda techniques in this ad because I thought that once people notice the myths that alcohol advertisements use, they will be amazed at what they missed looking the ads. I myself was surprised by what I saw, even after doing the deconstruction of the alcohol ads a few weeks ago.
