Do our guardians need guarding? An examination of the Australian system of self‐regulation of alcohol advertising

In this study the Australian system of self-regulation of alcoholic beverage advertising was examined. Sixteen advertisements, eight print and eight television advertisements, were subjected to public scrutiny. Respondents rated advertisements using a self-completion questionnaire based directly on the Australian Alcoholic Beverage Advertising Code. Responses were collated and where a majority of respondents had endorsed items that constituted a breach of the cose, a complaint, ostensibly from a member of the general public, was made to the Advertising Standards Council. All sixteen advertisements were regarded by the public as containing aspects which breached the code. However, the Advertising Standards Council rejected all but one of the sixteen complaints, often directly contradicting the opinions of our respondents. The social policy implications of these results are considered. It is contended that the system of self-regulation of alcohol advertising does not serve the public interest.