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Fitness & Health

23rd Dec 2019

Anti-drinking advertisement blocked on grounds of being too political

Conor Heneghan

anti-drinking advertisement

“This is the second time elements of the advertising community have refused to communicate this message.”

A Cork-based philanthropic foundation claims that an advertisement highlighting the dangers of underage drinking was refused space on high-profile billboard sites near Dublin on the grounds that it is too political.

The foundation, TOMAR Trust, claims that its outdoor Drink is a Drug ad campaign, which has run previously in both print and outdoor, was declined by a media agency as it was deemed to represent political advertising.

The campaign aims to encourage parents to delay the age at which young people partake of alcohol and to raise awareness of the health and developmental issues that arise due to alcohol consumption during teenage years and the risk of developing alcohol dependence later in life.

Campaign spokesperson Declan Bourke commented: “Is it ok for our children to be exposed to messages glorifying drink and drawing positive associations with sport and aspirational living, but not to see an ad pointing out the dangers of underage drinking? Society is not being served well here.

“This is the second time elements of the advertising community have refused to communicate this message.”

Eunan McKinney of Alcohol Action Ireland added: “Every day our children are unfairly exposed to a tsunami of alcohol marketing – it’s present on every phone, in every high street and every home. No longer can we, as a society, accept that the alcohol industry can retain the principal role as the educators of our young on their relationship with alcohol.

“Meantime, significant measures within legislation passed by the Oireachtas, such as those to control the content of future alcohol adverts and ridding the marketplace of impotent voluntary advertising codes, remain dormant.”

More information about the campaign is available at blindeye.ie.