• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

The Beer Institute wants to ensure the actors in beer commercials are 25 (unless you’re famous)

August 21, 2015Keith Gribbins

kids drinking underage
While actors must still be a minimum of 25 years old, the 25-year-old provision no longer applies to generally recognizable athletes, entertainers and other celebrities who are of legal drinking age (i.e. not these guys).

There are lots of rules when you plan on marketing beer — unless you’re the FCC (there are apparently no rules specific to alcohol on radio). But on television, you can’t even drink a beer in a commercial. Well, the other day, the Beer Institute announced two updates to what it calls the “industry-leading Advertising and Marketing Code.” The code, which includes revisions to the complaints process and model/actor age requirements, can be viewed right over here: www.BeerInstitute.org/responsibility/advertising-marketing-code.

Established in 1938, the Beer Institute’s Advertising and Marketing Code actually has a long history — and a long history of being amended — to meet evolving social, commercial and technological conditions. For example, beer companies were the first to adopt a self-regulatory standard for television advertising in the 1950s. More recently, the code was amended to address internet privacy and social media. In keeping with that tradition, recent updates are as follows:

Athletes, Entertainers and Celebrities: The code has been updated to clarify the age requirements for models and actors employed to appear in beer advertising and marketing materials. While models and actors must still be a minimum of 25 years old and appear to be of legal drinking age, the 25-year-old provision no longer applies to generally recognizable athletes, entertainers and other celebrities who are, and appear to be, of legal drinking age.

Complaints: Following a recommendation from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the code will now allow any identified individual, company or organization to file a complaint about any brewer’s advertising. The new language also allows for competitor complaints, but continues to bar anonymous complaints.

“The Beer Institute’s voluntary Advertising and Marketing Code is the model of self-regulation and has set a standard of excellence for decades,” said Beer Institute President and CEO Jim McGreevy. “Revisions to the code further modernize it and build on a strong foundation of success. Equally important, they are aimed at providing brewers, beer importers, government and the public with the best objective, verifiable basis for making and evaluating advertising placement decisions.”

In 2014, the FTC reaffirmed the success of this model, stating, “The commission continues to support self-regulation of alcohol marketing to reduce underage targeting.” All Beer Institute members agree to follow the code and respect the decisions of an independent review board as a condition of membership.

Beer Institute releases December 2022 domestic tax paid estimate
Beer Institute releases November 2022 domestic tax paid estimate
stacked barrels crop
Hot damn, Beer Institute releases July 2022 domestic tax paid estimate
Share your favorite beer-related memories on the Beer Institute’s Building Bridges with Beer page (um, the positive ones)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. mrbrewreview says

    August 26, 2015 at 10:01 pm

    The Beer Institute updates Advertising and Marketing Code http://t.co/zB226HkDVD via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  2. KCHopTalk says

    August 21, 2015 at 10:21 pm

    The Beer Institute wants to ensure the actors in beer commercials are 25 (unless you’re famous) http://t.co/XPQlA3wsXy

    Log in to Reply
  3. LVRGLLC says

    August 21, 2015 at 2:17 pm

    #CraftBeer #CraftBrewing #Beer #BeerBiz The Beer Institute wants to ensure the actors in beer commercials are 25 (… http://t.co/zEbJTO0pYM

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Karben4 Brewing to relaunch Ale Asylum brand
  • Caius Farm Brewery opens in Branford, Conn.
  • Colorado’s Resolute Brewing shares its 2022 year in review (rebrands and invests in local malt)
  • 4 steps to understanding the filtration process in craft beer

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Koga-brothers-karben4Karben4 Brewing to relaunch Ale Asylum brand
    March 20, 2023
  • 4 steps to understanding the filtration process in craft beer
    March 20, 2023
  • newbelgium_2023_wildnectar-shopping-basket_family_IMG_2Beyond beer: Examples of craft breweries exploring canned cocktails
    March 16, 2023
  • brooklyn 35 featureBrooklyn Lager turns 35 and more beers to know this week
    March 14, 2023
  • Backwoods Brewing to open a 19-acre resort called Party Acres in the Columbia River gorge this May
    March 13, 2023
  • Distribution update: NYC’s Alewife Brewing now sells in eastern Pennsylvania + news from Maui, Urban South and more
    March 13, 2023

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2023 · CBB Media LLC