Following a 15-month consultation process and independent community opinion survey, the Alcoholic Beverage Advertising Code (ABAC) Scheme has released an updated set of standards and improved guidance for the responsible digital marketing of alcoholic beverages.
The main changes implemented this year are:
- Increased placement restrictions, including higher adult audience requirements (80%) before alcohol ads can be placed in programs and tighter restrictions on direct marketing to protect vulnerable groups.
- Extending the Code to no-alcoholic and very low-alcohol beverages.
- Clearer limits to avoid positioning alcohol as a coping mechanism or portraying the choice to abstain in a negative light.
“The Code Review highlighted the importance of staying on top of complex and rapidly evolving digital marketing trends, and in December 2023, ABAC released a revised version of its Digital Marketing Best Practices Guide. This Guide provides an overview of the application of ABAC Code standards to digital marketing and considers best practices to help businesses implement and manage digital marketing responsibly.'' ABAC Independent Chair said Tony Smith.
For more information please visit www.abac.org.au.
