Women too targeted by advertising

Pastel colors, slender cans, references to Barbie, lemonade, yoga, slimming or maternal devotion… Alcohol manufacturers and sellers spend fortunes to encourage women to drink by bombarding them with products and of stereotypical advertising messages – which invade the mind at the same time as the streets, public transport and influencer publications.

This is the conclusion of a field survey carried out this year and presented for the first time during the Annual Public Health Days on November 29.

The Association for Public Health of Quebec (ASPQ) – which devoted several months to its investigation – wants the government to radically restrict this promotional hype in the collective space. As do four other Canadian provinces, New York City, France and Ireland, she says.

According to the Association, the messages conveyed lead many women – especially younger ones – to drink a lot of alcohol, without realizing the impact on their health, and to take risks when they are expecting a baby.

“Despite everything, even the Société des alcools (SAQ) targets them with flashy pink ads, which cover the entire facades of its branches,” laments lawyer Marianne Dessureault, head of legal affairs at the ‘ASPQ.

With equal ingestion, adds her colleague Gabrielle Desjardins, women are more at risk than men of developing various alcohol-related diseases, which they metabolize less well.

However, the industry is flooding the market with sweet and fruity drinks, which reduce the taste of alcohol, denounces M^e Dessureault. “It makes them more attractive to young girls, who drink them faster. »

Nearly one in five Quebecers reported episodes of alcohol abuse in 2022, twice as many as in 2000-2001, and more than before the pandemic, reveal the most recent data from Statistics Canada.

Combining alcohol and lifestyle

On the contrary, the industry is trying to associate alcoholic drinks “for women” with health, denounces M^e Dessureault, supporting evidence.

Ads feature happy sportswomen or influencers. Who combine sangria and yoga or take photos outdoors and profess their love of the environment – ​​with a glass of white wine in hand.

Manufacturers have also launched reduced-calorie alcoholic drinks, called “Svelte” or “Shape”, shown on dumbbells or in front of a tennis racket.

“Other messages present alcohol as an essential element of female socialization or of achievement and self-confidence,” adds M^e Dessureault.

A brewer, on the other hand, posted an announcement on buses and bus shelters saying: “Cold, but easy to approach”…

“Are you an alcoholic or pregnant?” »

These campaigns increase the use of alcohol, estimates M^e Dessureault. “They can change the quantities, frequency and contexts in which consumers decide to drink. The industry doesn’t spend millions for nothing. »

In the long run, the wave shapes perceptions and behaviors. “Everyone sees these announcements on their journey. This cultural rooting influences the social norm. A person who prefers not to drink is often asked, “Are you pregnant?” or “Are you an alcoholic?” It takes a “good reason”, which exerts pressure. »

In Quebec, more than one in five women still drink alcohol after learning that they are pregnant, compared to one in ten in Canada, according to the latest available statistics.^⁠1.

Even ingested in moderation, alcohol is associated with around sixty different diseases, regardless of gender, according to an article published in June in the journal Nature Medicine.

In January, the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction tightened its recommendations, explaining that there is “no safe threshold for alcohol consumption.”

Reducing exposure to advertising would save millions of dollars in healthcare costs, argues M^e Dessureault, reversed that the SAQ still reports to the Minister of Finance rather than the Minister of Health, like the Société québécoise du cannabis. “It seems that the main mission of the SAQ is to make money, with its point cards, its discounts and its targeted emails…”

Questioned on this subject, a spokesperson for the SAQ wrote that the organization respects “recommendations regarding responsible consumption and sales ethics” and “always carefully monitors” their evolution.

The Quebec Brewers Association responded that its members promote responsible consumption in their marketing and labeling, that they respect marketing laws and would adjust without delay if the rules change.

1. “Pregnancy, alcohol and social representations among women”, ASPQ, June 2022