A Creative Communications Agency

Once again the Attorney General is going after companies who allegedly market their products to teenagers. In the article posted at Adage.com, State Attorneys General Attack Marketing of Alcoholic Energy Drinks

29 state AG’s are going after alcoholic beverage companies who have created energy drinks that “the law-enforcement officers contend are marketed in a way that appeals to teens.” The only marketing that does not appeal teens are commercials for Depends, life insurance and any other ad you see while watching the Price is Right.

Industries such as alcohol and tobacco have been accused of marketing their products towards teenagers before. Cereal companies were ordered to cut back on their marketing towards children! What is happening is, again, an overblown reaction that people try to make news with. I don’t think the beer companies are showing advertising with high school kids at Prom drinking Budweiser or downing Sparks at the lunch table. It is just an overreaction to people not wanting to take responsibility for themselves; parents and kids. The drinking age in this country is 21 and every company has some sort of messaging in their advertising “21 means 21.” Underage drinking didn’t just start, I would bet that ever since a drinking age was established there were underage drinkers. But each of us is able to make our own decisions, wear a seatbelt, shoplift, j-walk, embezzle millions of dollars from a company to build an 18-hole golf course at your house! It’s your choice.

Well, let’s say this becomes a case and as a marketing/advertising person myself what are the results of a company being accused of marketing  their products to the illegal group? Does the agency get fired, do the marketing people at the company get fired? Is there a fine? Who pays it?

What would happen to the marketing in the future for any product? ‘Don’t show people having fun because your product can not guarantee fun.’ ‘No more cars driving fast through the desert because people will go out to the desert to drive fast and get hurt.’ All of the warning put on advertising, tv shows, movies… is getting out of hand. There were no warning on Bugs Bunny telling kids to not blow up their coyote friend with ACME dynamite and I think we all made it through that.