Week Three Activity
This video will show you some of the tricks used by companies to influence your child.
How is tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis industry the same in their approach to marketing?
How are these industries different in their approach to marketing?
Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and vaping companies use a lot of different messages to grab your child’s attention and connect to things that they may like. For example, look at these images and select the values that you think each advertisement may portray:
In thinking about these different values that you have seen through substance use marketing, you can EDUCATE your child about ways that they can think differently about these advertisements. Click on each value below to read some points that you can make about these values as they relate to substances:
Tobacco industry and alcohol industry have connected their brands to American values like patriotism for many decades. Having a love for your country or for freedom and democracy does not clearly link to using substances though. Pay attention to imagery like flags or farmland as well as ads put out on national holidays like the fourth of July.
It may seem like having a favorite brand of alcohol or other substances may put you in a strongly connected community. In reality, having specific interests, like certain sports or music, can be more connecting to others. What aspects of community are important to you and your child, and how can you develop that?
The party theme is very common in alcohol and cannabis marketing. Substance use is shown often with groups of people laughing/dancing and having fun with one another. Marketing very rarely shows the negative consequences of substance use behavior, and substance use often results in problematic outcomes (sickness, getting in trouble with parents) for kids. Kids may need help in recognizing that parties can be fun without substances.
Some substance use brands will show exciting themes paired with their product. Examples include outdoor sports or driving fast cars. This type of marketing is designed to target individuals who may like to engage in risky behaviors. For kids who tend towards risky behaviors pairing alcohol or other substance use with things like driving too fast can be very dangerous.
There is a trend on social media advertising to show individuals in glamorous settings using substances or drinking alcohol. There is no clear link between substance use and wealth/status, so this promotes an inaccurate message. Your child may need you to correct this kind of misinformation.
Relationships and friendships are very important to kids. Most of what kids see in the media related to substance use includes themes of friendships or fun group activities. In reality, loss of relationships is rated as the number one negative outcome of problematic substance use described by youth. Drinking and drug use does NOT improve youth relationships.
Marketing of substance use products often includes humor to engage viewers. This is a strategy designed to promote feelings of happiness and positivity in connection with the product. Marketing never shows the negative side of substance use though, as that would impact sales. Your child may need you to point this out in support of giving them a balanced perspective.
Medical marijuana has really changed how kids think about substances. Even if a medicine may be helpful for adults, it may be dangerous for youth because of their developing brains. You can point your child to sources of information on health and substance use, such as: https://teens.drugabuse.gov.
Many times alcohol or other substance use companies will pay celebrities to promote their brand. Talk with your child about the fact that these celebrities are PAID to sell these products. Sometimes the celebrities do not even like to drink or use the brand they are selling!