Brazilian teenagers and beer advertising: relationship between exposure, positive response, and alcohol consumption

• Published in: Cadernos de saúde pública 2009-02, Vol.25 (2), p.359-365
• Main Authors: Vendrame, Alan, Pinsky, Ilana, Faria, Roberta, Silva, Rebeca
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Advertising; Advertising as Topic - statistics & numerical data; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Beer - statistics & numerical data; Brazil; Brazil - epidemiology; Drinking Behavior; Female; Health; High School Students; Humans; Male; Marketing; Prevalence; Public Schools
• ISSN: 0102-311X; 1678-4464
• DOI: 10.1590/S0102-311X2009000200014

Brazilian teenagers report problematic patterns of alcohol consumption. Alcohol advertising strategies are one of the main factors influencing adolescents' alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between positive responses to TV beer commercials, exposure, and alcohol consumption. Thirty-two recent TV commercials were shown to 133 high school students from public schools in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo State, Brazil. The subjects recorded how well they liked the ads and how often they had already watched each commercial. The teenagers also reported their alcohol consumption rates. The ten commercials analyzed in this article were the five most popular and the five least popular. The analysis showed that subjects had already seen the five most popular ads, but not the five least popular. In addition, the five most popular ads received higher scores from teenagers that reported having consumed beer during the previous month. The study found a positive relationship between enjoying beer advertising and exposure to beer ads, as well as between alcohol consumption and positive responses to alcohol commercials.