Alcohol advertisements are notorious for preying on the self-esteem of individuals. These are things that each and every one of us encounters in our day to day lives, whether that is in the form of television commercials, billboards, or social media, the advertisements are all around us. The fact that we see these things all the time combined with how alcohol is a legal drug produces a situation where it is all too easy to internalize and act on the messages that the advertisements present to us. Although it is entirely possible to consume alcohol in a safe, controlled manner, many people start to believe the ideologies given to them by the alcohol companies; they believe that they are a more social, more manly, sexier, or funnier version of themselves when they consume this product. Tiger beer produced an ad that is consistent with these things. This advertisement encompasses the main stereotypes that alcohol companies seek to reinforce, showcasing both manly men in competition with one another and a beautiful woman.
Tiger beer is produced by Asia Pacific Breweries of Singapore. It was founded in 1931 by Fraser & Neave and Heineken. It was the first large-scale brewery in Singapore, and Tiger beer was the first to be produced. They have been brewing for over eighty years and currently operate a $200 million brewery encompassing nine hectares in Tuas. They are the first Asian brewery to be ISO certified. Today, they have expanded a great deal and it is brewed in 12 Asian countries and available in more than 75 markets worldwide. They have stated their vision to be, “brewing a better world [and] creating great beer experiences for all occasions.” (apbsingapore.com)
Even though alcohol can only legally be consumed by those over 21, I believe this advertisement is aimed at males and females in their teenage years and up. It is a common idea that men must be as “manly as possible.” This is a socially constructed value that must be reinforced through time for it to prevail, and as such the socialization process must start early. Boys grow up learning that they have to fit a certain model to be successful men in the world, so being exposed to advertisements like this showcase that idea and over time allow them to internalize the message. For girls, the advertisements tell them that they must be perceived as beautiful by men in order to be successful in the world. Only once they are desirable can they get what they want. This advertisement played on YouTube, so it is something that could be seen by anyone of any age. By promoting their ideas in a casual setting, it is more likely that viewers would become more comfortable with the ideas over time and then choose to use the product to achieve those goals set out for them by the advertisers. It has been found that repeated exposure to alcohol advertisements increases the usage of alcohol, especially in non-drinkers (Smith, Foxcroft, 2009). Additionally, the mere-exposure effect has shown that unconsciously receiving stimuli creates an even larger effect than consciously receiving stimuli, meaning that even passive exposure to advertisements can lead to a profound effect (Bornstein, 1992.) So, by combining the increasing comfort of a familiar brand with the appeal the advertisements provide, younger adolescents grow up to drink more, and adults either drink more or drink more of this brand.
The active ingredient in alcohol is ethanol (C2H60). Whether this ingredient is beneficial or deleterious depends solely on the dose that is administered. With moderate drinking (which is typically defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men – although some research has suggested that even moderate drinking every day is not advisable) there seems to be a few health benefits such as aiding the heart and circulatory system and protecting against type 2 diabetes and gallstones. Heavy drinking, however, is the lead cause of preventable deaths in the United States and can lead to damage of the heart and liver, harm unborn children, and play a part in domestic violence and mental illness such as depression. It is most known for causing liver inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis) and scarring (cirrhosis). The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research have demonstrated that high alcohol usage can lead to a variety of cancers such as breast, liver, pharynx, larynx, colon, rectum, mouth, and esophagus. Alcohol can be very addictive, especially for those with a family history of abuse or who have gone through trauma, and withdrawals can kill you. Genes play a massive role in how an individual’s body will respond to the drug and whether or not they will develop problems with it. The beer advertisement did not mention any of the adverse health effects. They also did not mention that alcoholism impacts the lives of everyone around the alcoholic. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has found that alcoholism is prevalent in 18.2 million Americans, alcohol plays in a role in 1 in 3 violent crimes, it costs more than $185 billion every year, and alcohol causes car accidents that kill more than 16,000 people every year. These are huge impacts that affect not just the individual but also the society, family, and friends surrounding them. Although they depicted casual drinking, even engaging in that activity can carry some adverse effects such as trouble sleeping, clouded judgement, and interaction with medications including those that are over the counter pain medicines. (hsph.harvard.edu)
The alcohol ad was deceptive in that it initially depicted the need for men to be super macho in order to have success in gaining the last beer bottle. This plays on the idea that manly men always win in life, and unless each life event is a reinforcement of manhood, then you aren’t a “real man.” They go above and beyond to portray manliness in the actors’ transformations into traditionally manly beings such as wrestlers, gorillas, high-tech robots, and a presumable Tarzan-like figure. They go wild and are angry and competitive, just like animals. From an evolutionary point of view, this is what men evolved from, and so it brings them right back to their roots of what men historically needed to be in order to survive and to provide food for their communities and families. Research has been done finding that advertisements primarily focus on emotions in order to sway the audience (Hovland, 2016). By the end of the advertisement, they portray a beautiful woman gaining the upper hand, switching over to influencing the female viewers. This presets the idea that women must be sexy to gain male approval, and that men are powerless around attractive women. Alcohol advertisements consistently seem to exploit inherent sexism in our society and link their products with ideas of attractiveness to the opposite gender (Fullwood, Mongiovi, Hillyer, Basch, Ethan, Hammond, 2016). This suggests that not only does it reinforce the idea of needing to meet a certain stereotype yourself, but also that you should be drawn to members of the opposite gender who meet their own stereotypes. This reinforces sexist ideas and takes an incredibly heteronormative approach to values. The video shows that if you follow that protocol, then you will have success. Their slogan “enjoy winning” showcases this. They send the message that by drinking their beer, you are matching up with either the ideal male or female stereotype, and as such you will “win” at life (whatever that definition means to each individual.)
Alcohol is an incredibly powerful drug and as such must be consumed responsibly. Because of its prevalence in society it is very hard to escape. I do not believe that it has to be an inherently bad thing, but it is very easy to become one. As stated previously, there are some possible benefits that may be derived from moderate consumption. However, it is an easy task to cross over from the benefits to the detriments territory. There are numerous health risks associated with overuse. Because of this data, I would advise any friend or family member who is suffering from some form of mental illness, who has a family history of abuse, who is predisposed to one of the illnesses that alcohol can lead to, or who is going through some hard times and looking for a coping mechanism to stay away. For those who are not likely to suffer adverse effects from light usage and who are not predisposed to go down the path of addiction, I would advise them to be cautious and mindful of their consumption. It is always important to check in with yourself and have others looking out for you to make sure that you are still making the best decisions for your health and those around you. It is also important to do individual research and to weigh the costs and benefits once you are properly informed. Many people do not know of all the risks that legal drugs can still carry, so it is important to be aware of any factors that may make you uncomfortable. It is possible to safely drink alcohol and have an enjoyable time, but it is also important to prepare properly and see if the effects line up with personal goals for health and well-being.
Works Cited:
The effect of alcohol advertising, marketing and portrayal on drinking behaviour in young people: systematic review of prospective cohort studies
Lesley Smith-David Foxcroft – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2653035/
Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/alcohol-full-story/
Targeting gender: A content analysis of alcohol advertising in magazines
A-Reum Jung-Roxanne Hovland – Health Marketing Quarterly – 2016
An advertisement analysis of alcohol products in popular women’s magazines
M Fullwood-Jennifer Mongiovi-Grace Hillyer-Corey Basch-Danna Ethan-Rodney Hammond – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5235351/
Bornstein, R. F., & D’Agostino, P. R. (1992). Stimulus recognition and the mere exposure effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(4), 545-552.
http://www.apbsingapore.com