If an alcoholic drink is a legal product, it should be legally possible for it to be advertised. Bans on alcohol advertising, according to the alcohol and advertising industries, would have damaging effects on the alcohol market and on the media. They also argue that bans are not justified as advertising is concerned with promoting sales of individual brands, and they believe there is no evidence of a causal link between advertising and the overall level of alcohol consumption or the amount of alcohol-related harm.
Promoting brands, recruiting new drinkers and increasing sales among existing consumers, however, are the important things advertisers care about, according to those who are against the marketing of alcohol. Intensive advertising and promotion of alcohol appears to sanction and legitimize use of a product which causes high levels of damage to individuals and society.
Alcohol advertising appears to be one-sided, avoiding any reference to the negative elements of alcohol consumption. It’s also necessary to enable alcohol to compete against other alternative drugs as well as soft drinks. There is some evidence that bans on alcohol advertising can have beneficial effect on the level of harm, at least in the longer term.