74 replies to this topic

[Abranet]

The European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) is pushing to have alcohol advertising banned and have written to FIA President Jean Todt citing the "mixed messages" delivered to the public.

 

In a letter seen by the Telegraph, Mariann Skar, the secretary general of the body, wrote: "When considering the continued destructive prevalence of drink-driving, permitting the mixed messages presented in alcohol sponsorship of Formula One seems ever more inappropriate given the total viewing audience of 500 million.

 

Never got any advertising for alcohol on cars or servicing it from service stations but I've also never been a complete ass and thought "oh they're advertising Martini on a car so it must be ok to drink and drive"

 

Last thing F1 needs is a loss of another revenue stream.

Edited by Abranet, 13 November 2014 - 19:48.

[Risil]

Joe Saward reckons this is being pushed by someone who's trying to keep Williams, Force India and possibly Mclaren in line. "Go along with our plans for F1, or we'll take away your sponsors."

[Ross Stonefeld]

That's a bizarre but typically F1-centric view. Alcohol was always next in people's minds after the tobacco bans were fully enacted. Heineken and SABMiller(with domestic exceptions for pre-existing sponsorships) already have 'action sports' bans as internal policy.

[pdac]

From Wikipedia:

 

Eurocare (The European Alcohol Policy Alliance) is a network of some 50 voluntary and non-governmental organisations working on the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harm across Europe. Its mission is to advocate for prevention of alcohol-related harm in Europe through effective evidence-based policy.

 

 

They probably wield some power, but not sure whether F1 needs to pay attention to them and I'm sure Bernie won't

[pathogen]

If FIA support the "drive safety" campaigne, make sense to me.

[SealTheDiffuser]

If FIA support the "drive safety" campaigne, make sense to me.

 

drive safely champagne?

[BRG]

From Wikipedia:

 

 

They probably wield some power, but not sure whether F1 needs to pay attention to them and I'm sure Bernie won't

It doesn't matter whether F1 or Bernie pay attention.  It matters if the EU does and that is where Eurocare will be aiming.

[Tsarwash]

A European wide, general alcohol ban shall never happen*. Too many vested interests and people would oppose it. An alcohol ban in motor racing frankly makes sense, as much as i hate to say it. 

 

These unaccountable groups have had their success with tobacco an now they are getting over-confident. This is folly. Nobody will really stand up for tobacco, but millions will stand up for alcohol. 

[anachronox]

This cant be a big problem. In India, alcohol adverts on TV are banned so every alcohol company have their own mineral water or soda that is advertised all the time. This includes the branding as well everywhere 

[LeMans86]

Next a ban on the unhealthy energy drinks? That should create some sparks

[Afterburner]

Let's ban ISP and computer sponsorship because you can find porn on the internet. Let's ban telecommunications sponsorship because you can die by texting while driving. Let's ban petrochemical sponsors because you can use them to build bombs. Let's ban shipping companies because they can be used to transport drugs.

 

I plan to bring this to the attention of the FIA. I will be relentless. Formula One must be rid of any sponsors which could influence bad behaviour.

[jonpollak]

Bernie says "Think before you shop for sponsors"

 

Jp

[MP422]

Ridiculous.

[superden]

Let's ban financial sponsorship. Money has ruined millions of lives and both directly and indirectly caused countless deaths.

Edited by superden, 13 November 2014 - 20:57.

[Kraken]

If tobacco is banned so should alcohol. To be honest I think alcohol advertising in relation to motorsport should have been banned long ago in preference to tobacco.

[andysaint]

This has been coming for a while. The teams are trying to get as much as they can from the drinks companies and vice versa until the ban comes in. Good for short term revenues but not so good for the longer term sustainability. This shouldn't come as a surprise.

[Paincake]

These politicians won't stop untill F1 itself is banned, because its dangerous. Welcome to this brave new world...

[Murl]

These politicians won't stop untill F1 itself is banned, because its dangerous. Welcome to this brave new world...

 

It is pretty obvious move (banning alcohol advertising) to make if you are looking to reduce harm. You can wail about political correctness if you want. Other people don't care about such emotional characterizations. They would rather see lawmakers get on with sensible and obvious actions. 

Edited by Murl, 13 November 2014 - 21:25.

[loki]

So you can buy a beer in a place like McDonalds in Germany but some want a ban on alcohol advertising?

[sopa]

So they wouldn't spray champagne on the podium eitherl?

 

From car racing perspective I have to say an alcohol ban makes more sense than tobacco ban. But since it looks like in the unforeseeable future they are both likely to be banned, it will further decrease sponsorship avenues.

 

I wonder, when will betting companies become major team sponsors in F1. They already are title sponsors in many other sports teams.

[Fonzey]

Thank god, I'm getting sick of these monday morning hangovers due to F1.

[warp]

 

I wonder, when will betting companies become major team sponsors in F1. They already are title sponsors in many other sports teams.

 

Because betting is good... 

 

Not directed at you, just pointing out how crazy is that. 

[sabjit]

Let's ban financial sponsorship. Money has ruined millions of lives and both directly and indirectly caused countless deaths.

 

Whilst we're at it, lets ban lives because they only ruin other people's lives.

 

We're doomed 

[Afterburner]

Whilst we're at it, lets ban lives because they only ruin other people's lives.

 

We're doomed 

The final solution.

 

There's a whole societal rant to be had here but it's best left for the Paddock Club, methinks. Maybe I'll go have a gripe in there.

[MikeV1987]

I see smirnoff plastered on the side of force indias car every gp, and yet I still hate smirnoff

[BullHead]

I wonder if the the lobby is worried about alcohol ads on cars specifically, or more alcohol association with sport. The latter is more in line with the progression of changing sponsorship ideals as in the "mixed message" of sport and potentially unhealthy lifestyle products. I suspect though that the "mixed message" concern is more aimed at alcohol and cars, which at first might sound logical, but isn't really, because the ads are largely are not about products for driving whatever the brand. Not these days anyway. Otherwise should alcohol not be advertised on anything with wheels?

[FerrariV12]

http://www.anorak.co...om-a-to-z.html/

 

Ban all these too 

[Lotus53B]

There was an advert way back when F1 was on ITV that showed a guy, in race overalls, holding a bottle, that looked like champagne.

He grinned, and rotated the bottle and the "LEMONADE" was shown in prominent letters...and then proceeded to do the podium jizz job...

 

The point was, adverts on TV are not allowed to associate alcohol with anything to do with driving - I think the point of this is, that should driving sports be allowed to be associated with alcohol?

[BullHead]

You are absolutely right, Lotus53B. Alcohol is not allowed to be advertised in association with driving in general media. Motorsports could be seen as a loophole in this policy that ought to be closed. Just like when cigarette advertising was no longer allowed on tv but motorsport became a way around that, and got closed.

[BullHead]

Cigarette advertising in any form here in the UK is hard to come by. I wonder if further down the line beer lorries transporting the stuff up and down the motorways will have to become 'plain' .

[BullHead]

It has already been suggested that this was coming and would be next after the tobacco demise. There was some discussion of this and future sponsorship sources in the sponsorship thread somewhere....

[Paincake]

So they wouldn't spray champagne on the podium eitherl?

 

From car racing perspective I have to say an alcohol ban makes more sense than tobacco ban. But since it looks like in the unforeseeable future they are both likely to be banned, it will further decrease sponsorship avenues.

 

I wonder, when will betting companies become major team sponsors in F1. They already are title sponsors in many other sports teams.

Betting companies sponsoring F1? RIP...

Wheter its Tobacco or Alchol, they don't interfer with the sport itself. A betting company does, and makes way for corruption.

[BullHead]

Eurobet anyone? Screwed Tom Walkinshaw and Arrows.

[Fastcake]

I don't think you can compare alcohol and tobacco, they're clearly two different products.

In any case, alcohol on the side of racing cars was eventually going to come under pressure. This had to be an eventuality most teams saw coming.

[Treads]

1. Does anyone realistically think that F1 teams being sponsored by alcohol brands makes people drink and drive, in spite of the anti-drink and drive messages which are very visible?

2. Will the FIA pursue such a ban given that it would take even more money out of the sport and cause enormous financial hardship for the teams?

 

The only possible reason I can why this would happen would be to exert pressure on those teams with alcohol sponsorship.

 

Every time something like this happens my love for formula 1 dies a little bit more. It is a discussing, corrupt, cesspit of a sport.

[Murl]

1. Does anyone realistically think that F1 teams being sponsored by alcohol brands makes people drink and drive, in spite of the anti-drink and drive messages which are very visible?

 

Sure.

[Ferrari2183]

Ah, what a crazy society we live in, a bunch of softies raised by overbearing parents... People don't want to take responsibility for bad parenting and their actions so blame advertising for the poor decisions.

 

Bring tobacco sponsorship back. That will quickly sort out the money issue.

[Shambolic]

If tobacco is banned so should alcohol. To be honest I think alcohol advertising in relation to motorsport should have been banned long ago in preference to tobacco.

 

Whereas I feel if a prodcut is legal to produce and legal to sell (and also immensely heavily taxed, thus fuelling the government coffers greatly), then it ought to be legal to advertise.

 

I used to smoke. F1 didn't start me smoking, neither did adverts in magazines. I always loved the Silk Cut adverts, but the ciggies were dire to me. My brand of choice was Camel or Marlboro, but due to impoverishment I'd usually end up smoking JPS. Did F1 have any sway over my brand of choice? Perhaps, even if I'm not happy I might be subconsciously malleable to that extent. Cost and smoking "sensation" definitely swayed me at least as much and probably more.

 

I stopped smoking before F1 stopped tobacco advertising, and I actually didn't so much quit as simply found I didn't feel like lighting up. That tobacco products are now hidden from the eyes of the Darwinianly stupid in many shops makes no difference to my previous addiction, but does raise my ire considerably.

 

I happen to enjoy a drink, in fact I almost always open a bottle of white for a race on TV. Lidl own brand plonk isn't represented anywhere on the cars, as far as I've seen, and it's a tradition I've been enjoying for over a decade. I also indulge in too much chocolate whilst watching, which probably isn't doing my waistline any good, perhaps for my own health that should be banned too?

 

We all know alcohol exists. It is, and in my opinion should remain, legally available. As such, it ought to be allowed to advertise anywhere that will swap ad space for cash. The arguments over drink driving limits, deaths, etc are a complete aside to me - Mobile phones also exist, are illegal to use other than hands free whilst driving, but we don't see outcries to ban Vodafone from motorsports advertising.

[KnucklesAgain]

We should ban advertising for other evil things like SAP, energy drinks, and weird capital funds.

[zdzisio]

Whereas I feel if a product is legal to produce and legal to sell (...), then it ought to be legal to advertise.

 

Are you positively stating that in your opinion there are absolutely no products, that are perfectly legal to produce and to sell, that might not be so appropriate to be  advertised on Sunday at noon?

 

 

I used to smoke. F1 didn't start me smoking, neither did adverts in magazines.

 

And how do you know that actually? How did you measured what actually made you light your first cigarette and what made you stick wit it? For your information there are lots (I mean LOTS) of research saying that omnipresence of tobacco in public space, advertisements, movies ant TV has enormous effect. It affects your subconscious, it teaches you it is normal to smoke. That it is nice and OK. It's not a small feat. 

[goldenboy]

Just ridiculous! I don't work in the liquor industry anymore but it still pisses me off, people make their own choices.

[Retrofly]

I saw an article on motoGP sponsorship. If energy drinks were banned half the grid would be lost overnight.

[ensign14]

So you can buy a beer in a place like McDonalds in Germany but some want a ban on alcohol advertising?

 

Hey, why advertise fast food, while we're at it?  Just making unhealthy produce attractive to children.

[Lotus53B]

You gotta wonder when/if the Gulf states will chip in with their objections to Satan's sauce - when/if that happens, you'll hear a faint sonic boom as Bernie rushes to the FIA to demand it himself.

[Sash1]

I saw an article on motoGP sponsorship. If energy drinks were banned half the grid would be lost overnight.

 

It might be closer than people think. Concerned medical specialists and health groups are already pointing out that they have a growing number of youth visiting hospitals with energy-drink related health issues (neurological, liver, kidney, general - as in totally failing systems) and are pushing for a ban on those products. If you cannot sell them, there is no point advertising for them. Just one red bull might be no problem, but you can buy them unlimited so it is quite normal to drink 4 to 14 on a day. In Sweden they introduced an age limit. Recently I read something about a campaing to ban sale from supermarkets and bars to pharmacies with an age limit in some countries.

 

The health issues are serious. We have seen some people in our organisation who drank 12 bullit energy drinks a day and had to stop drinking the stuff as they were destroying their liver and had serious mental issues as a result of lack of sleep/rest. And in clubs I have seen some very bad effects of energy/drink-spirit combinations where people don't feel how intoxicated they are and drink themselves into alcohol intoxication -altough that is a mix of several issues- and even heart problems by pushing their tired but pumped up systems over the edge.

 

I estimate that in about 5 to 10 years time we will see a situation where energy drinks will be treated the same as alcohol in some European countries with a strong push to limit the advertising. Or they will be forced to bring down caffeine and stuff like guarana to very low levels. The latter would be the best for motorsports as it would make the drinks just a soda like coca cola.

[byrkus]

So they wouldn't spray champagne on the podium eitherl?

 

Champagne?? I wonder why it's not banned already.

 

After 2020, that's what they'll use for post race spraying:

 

 

 

 

Some of the greatest liveries EVER were created either by tobacco, or alcohol advertisers - or both. But I'm still not a smoker, neither am I a drunk.

[Murl]

It might be closer than people think. Concerned medical specialists and health groups are already pointing out that they have a growing number of youth visiting hospitals with energy-drink related health issues (neurological, liver, kidney, general - as in totally failing systems) and are pushing for a ban on those products. If you cannot sell them, there is no point advertising for them. Just one red bull might be no problem, but you can buy them unlimited so it is quite normal to drink 4 to 14 on a day. In Sweden they introduced an age limit. Recently I read something about a campaing to ban sale from supermarkets and bars to pharmacies with an age limit in some countries.

 

The health issues are serious. We have seen some people in our organisation who drank 12 bullit energy drinks a day and had to stop drinking the stuff as they were destroying their liver and had serious mental issues as a result of lack of sleep/rest. And in clubs I have seen some very bad effects of energy/drink-spirit combinations where people don't feel how intoxicated they are and drink themselves into alcohol intoxication -altough that is a mix of several issues- and even heart problems by pushing their tired but pumped up systems over the edge.

 

I estimate that in about 5 to 10 years time we will see a situation where energy drinks will be treated the same as alcohol in some European countries with a strong push to limit the advertising. Or they will be forced to bring down caffeine and stuff like guarana to very low levels. The latter would be the best for motorsports as it would make the drinks just a soda like coca cola.

 

 

It strikes me as a very odd situation when "the man in the street" of these forums is up in arms defending the manipulative agenda of drug pushers and hating on what medical researchers and psychologists recommend.

 

Chill people. There will still be adverts on your screens pimping stuff you don't need.

And as a side effect of limiting the damage of marketing departments the world over, you will pay less taxes.

[DaddyCool]

I am sick and tired of this nonstop political correctness constantly being shoved down everyone's throat nowadays.

 

You have smoking, soft drug consumption, excessive violence and nudity and extreme sexuality all across the entertainment industry and no one gives a f***, but now apparently seeing a Martini-sponsored Williams is going to encourage you to go get shitfaced drunk and then drive?

 

I wonder how entire generations of people who grew up on Tom & Jerry didn't turn into mass murderers???

[Afterburner]

I am sick and tired of this nonstop political correctness constantly being shoved down everyone's throat nowadays.

You have smoking, soft drug consumption, excessive violence and nudity and extreme sexuality all across the entertainment industry and no one gives a f***, but now apparently seeing a Martini-sponsored Williams is going to encourage you to go get shitfaced drunk and then drive?

I wonder how entire generations of people who grew up on Tom & Jerry didn't turn into mass murderers???

Brilliant.

As was expected, someone in the Paddock Club said it better than me using about 2% of the words: 'you can't legislate stupidity', but the problem is you have a bunch of people who think they can.

Edited by Afterburner, 14 November 2014 - 12:41.

[ronsingapore]

I don't want to sound ignorant here, but I am wondering, does the EU's power extend beyond its own borders? I mean, for example, let's say F1 decides (hypothetically speaking, I know this wil never happen) to get out of all EU countries, say, no more races in the EU, no more TV broadcasts to EU countries (yeah, i know, will never happen, but lets' say hypothetically), would the EU be still able to enforce such laws? I mean, I remember Chinese airlines just ignoring the EU's fines for their refusal to pay the carbon air emissions tax.