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Advertising

The drinks industry markets its goods responsibly to the mature audience for which our products are intended. In Ireland, we adhere to some of the strictest self-regulatory advertising codes in the world for both content and volume of alcohol advertising and we are committed to maintaining those high standards.

In Ireland, the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) plays a crucial role in the advertising of alcohol brands. Its Code sets out rules governing the content of advertising, including the alcohol-specific rules in Section 7 of the Code, and it complements the wide range of placement, volume, and media-specific voluntary codes which are operated by the Alcohol Marketing Communications Monitoring Board, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and others.

Unique to Ireland is the pre-vetting service of CopyClear (formerly Central Copy Clearance Ireland). No alcohol advertisement can appear in Irish print or broadcast without a CopyClear pre-clearance number - in effect, CopyClear pre-clearance is mandatory for the Irish market.

Taken together, the rules of the codes governing alcohol advertising in Ireland means that no alcohol advertising can:
  • appeal directly to young people
  • feature anyone who is, or appears to be, under the age of 25
  • associate alcohol or its consumption with social or sexual success
  • suggest any association with bravado, or with violent, aggressive, dangerous or anti-social behaviour
  • have the alcoholic strength, or the intoxicating effect, as a dominant theme

The codes also mean:
  • No advertisement for strength spirits, such as vodka, whiskey or gin, or ready-to-drink (RTDs) products can appear on Irish television or radio
  • No alcohol sponsorship in Ireland of sports associated with driving (such as motor racing) or aggression (such as boxing) is allowed
  • No alcohol advertisement can appear in any media where more than 25% of the audience is under the age of 18
  • Only one in four advertisements on any medium can be for alcohol
  • No alcohol advertisements in Ireland can appear during children’s programming or in media specifically aimed at children or during family breakfast time.
  • No alcohol sponsorship of any sports broadcast is allowed
  • No outdoor advertisement for alcohol can be placed within 100 metres of a school or youth group.

ABFI and its members support the self-regulatory system, which is flexible and better able to react quickly to new developments in marketing and advertising than legislation would be.



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