Alcohol marketing: Evidence, emerging challenges and policy responses – with lessons from tobacco and breastmilk substitute marketing restrictions

Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and contributes to over 200 disease conditions and injuries, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, liver disease and injuries. It is also linked to significant social harms such as violence and family disruption. Alcohol use also imposes substantial economic costs, including lost productivity, increased health-care expenditure, and broader burdens on families and health systems.

At the same time, alcohol marketing has evolved rapidly. Beyond traditional media, marketing now takes place across digital platforms through a range of strategies, including social media promotion, influencer partnerships, and targeted advertising powered by data analytics and artificial intelligence. These approaches increasingly shape social norms and influence consumption patterns, particularly among young people and other vulnerable groups. 

Evidence shows that exposure to alcohol marketing is associated with earlier initiation of drinking among adolescents and increased consumption among existing users. Despite this, progress in implementing effective restrictions on alcohol marketing remains limited across the Western Pacific Region. 

This webinar facilitates dialogue on strengthening alcohol marketing policy, drawing on lessons learned from regulatory actions on tobacco and breastmilk substitutes (BMS) marketing.

Moderator: Ms Xi Yin, Coordinator, Health Promotion and Policy, Division of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Control (DPC), WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific

Presentations

• Global landscape of alcohol marketing: Trends and emerging digital strategies
• Youth exposure to alcohol marketing
• Policy responses and current implementation status
• Country experiences in addressing alcohol marketing
• Lessons from tobacco and breastmilk substitute marketing restrictions

Organizer: DPC's Health Promotion and Policy unit, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific