Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17074

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Dyer C
Drinks companies delayed publication of analysis of marketing practices
BMJ 2010 Jan 22;
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/340/jan22_3/c453

Abstract:

Drinks companies and their advertising agencies tried to persuade the House of Commons health select committee to keep under wraps many of the internal documents setting out their marketing strategies. The documents have been analysed in a BMJ paper published this week.

They argued that many of the documents, handed over to the committee as part of its recent inquiry into alcohol, were confidential and commercially sensitive.

But after a brief delay to allow the companies to make their representations the committee decided to give the go-ahead for publication of the paper analysing the documents, which it commissioned from Gerard Hastings and colleagues at the Institute for Social Marketing at Stirling University (BMJ 2010;340:b5650, doi:10.1136/bmj.b5650).

Their paper suggests that the UK’s self regulatory code for alcohol advertising is not working. The code bans advertisements that appeal strongly to under 18s, reflect youth culture, encourage irresponsible drinking, promote . . .