Alcohol Ads Will Not Be Banned in the UK, Despite What Media Says

(MoneyWatch)  The chances of alcohol advertising being banned in the U.K. are close to zero -- a fact not mentioned in Ad Age's story on the topic this morning.

There are two reasons. The first is that the Conservative Party is 19 points ahead of the Labour government in the polls, and it has said it will not ban alcohol ads if it wins the upcoming election. This is important because the current Labour government doesn't support this ban either, according to the Guardian.

(Note that this story is not a new one -- the British Medical Association called for the ban more than a month ago.)

The second reason there will be no ban is because of the booze industry's close ties to sport. Heineken is a big supporter of rugby, and brewer Carling sponsors the FA, the Carling Cup, the England team, and Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish Premier League. So even if a UK government wanted such a ban, it would first have to face down the wrath of the football business, which is heavily dependent on beer sponsors. Virtually all clubs have beer and liquor sponsors on their shirts or in their stadia, and even the largest clubs have perilous finances. The prospect of removing booze income from football could plunge some clubs into receivership (in theory). Such a move would infuriate millions of fans (and voters).

It is simply not going to happen.

Image by Flickr user wonker, CC.