Advertising: Alcohol

Alcohol advertising is widespread and has increased over the past years. The exposure to and effects of alcohol marketing have been the focus of much research. Based on several systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there is consensus that alcohol marketing has a causal effect on increased drinking behavior. Some issues, however, still deserve more scientific attention. First, although some studies suggest that certain risk groups may be especially vulnerable to alcohol marketing, the number of studies focusing on risk groups other than young people (e.g., adults with alcohol dependence or in recovery, pregnant women) is still limited. Therefore, we advise future researchers to provide further insight into the effects of alcohol marketing among these vulnerable groups. Second, although research has shown an association between social media alcohol marketing and drinking behavior as well as affective and cognitive responses, there are still several areas that need to be explored more in this context (e.g., the role of social media influencers). Furthermore, the effect of marketing for new products (e.g., nonalcoholic drinks or hard seltzers) on drinking behavior is still unknown. It is essential that these new forms of alcohol marketing are researched thoroughly.