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While considerably less frequent than alcohol depictions in television programs, commercial alcohol advertising advocates the purchase and consumption of specific product and brands. The commercial portrayals tend to be determined by the medium in which they appear. Television portrayals capitalise on the visual qualities, sound appeal and the credibility of the medium. Hence, alcohol products advertised on television, mostly beer, utilise these opportunities to their advantage and falsely affiliate their product with social poise, achievement and masculinity (Appendix 1). Print advertising dominated by liquor retail advertisements takes advantage of the static one image nature of the medium by taking a product focused approach. The product is prominently displayed stressing attributes such as quality, mix ability, price and other sale promotion activities (Fisher, 1993, p.56). Retail advertising in the print form attempt to increase consumption by expanding market base (e.g. women and teenagers) and increase usage (2 for 1) (Fisher, 1993, p56). Television and print advertising therefore encourages the use of alcohol and associate it with false impressions. The companies behind the advert provide little or no information in regards to the dangerous effects of excessive alcohol consumption and are not interested or concerned with the social implications of their product.
It is important to realise that to definitively prove direct trends between alcohol advertising and excessive consumption further evidence of an empirical nature need to be discussed. .
A study by Lesch et al. (1991) indicated that brand users of alcoholic beverages were effectively involved with the product and preferred brands whose images matched their actual or ideal self-concept. In this view, consumers seek out brands which they have affective affinity as communicated in the brand's character that has been established by advertising (p.