Budweiser, A conflict of Interest Story

The Budweiser homepage some prototypical advertisements

Basic Beer commercials -sex -humor -quality argument -responsible drinking

Some of the problematics -conflict of interest -possible claims -role of parents -lawsuits and failure    -campaign contributions -freedom of speech -promotion of responsible    drinking ads only promote    brand identification -parents are likely to view    favorably, backdoor into    child's mind -say one thing do another

Anheiser-Busch is unique for several reasons -Older, American owned brewery -Only domestic that is still American owned -First brewery to feature responsible drinking ads 20ish years ago -Revolutionized beer advertising

Ethically this is a conundrum, but many other makers have followed suit. -brand identification -distancing product from appeal -no mention of product other than logo -store displays -magazine ads

Paying lipservice to the ambiguous code Code of Responsible advertising

Why should we care?

-overexposure

*graph taken from http://camy.org/reseach/tv1202 -health -long term social consequences -unequal distribution of advertising -parent response -ease of aquirement -cheapness of product Appeals that are seen as more favorable for children -"Cute" ads -humorous ads (slapstick ect) -store displays