DO ADVERTISING BANS WORK? AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON by

Advertising bans can increase or decrease alcohol consumption due to effects on beverage choice, price competition, and substitution by producers toward non-banned media. We study bans on broadcast advertising in seventeen OECD countries for the years 1977-95, in relation to per capita alcohol consumption, liver cirrhosis mortality, and motor vehicle fatalities. The results indicate that advertising bans in OECD countries have not decreased alcohol consumption or alcohol abuse. Forthcoming in International Journal of Advertising