VERO BEACH — The Drug Free Action Alliance wanted to know, so on Feb. 4, they took a ‘Big Bowl Vote’ and 222 students from Gifford Middle School (GMS) participated.
32 states participated in the survey with 20,000 sixth through twelfth grade students across the nation. Why does this even matter? Keep reading.
For middle school students, the national top five favorite commercials and most recalled products included alcohol, but not for GMS students. This may be due to the fact that they get media literacy taught to them in their LifeSkills class.
When we compare their ‘Big Bowl Vote’ results with the nation’s results, four of the top five commercials are the same. The only difference is the GMS students liked the ‘Coke race’ commercial more than they did the Budweiser Clydesdale one. Are you still wondering why this matters?
The four public middle schools in Indian River County implement the evidence-based prevention program, LifeSkills Training, in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. This program is working because in December, the FYSAS (Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey) results showed that past 30 days, alcohol use among IRC middle school students dropped from 21.2% in 2010 to 12.8% in 2012, and among high school students, the drop was from 41.3% in 2010 to 35.7% in 2012.
According to Nielsen, 108.4 million viewers tuned in for this year’s Super Bowl, and according to the Big Bowl Vote results, 72% of participating sixth through eighth graders watched the Super Bowl. Locally, more than 2/3 of the GMS students surveyed had watched the game.
And what did they like best? The goat with an insatiable hunger for Doritos. It took top spot among both middle and high school students. Taco Bell’s ‘We are Young’ was the second favorite among both age groups.
But the Budweiser ad was not far behind. The story of the Clydesdale growing up, but never forgetting the “brother” who raised him, stole hearts of all ages. This alcohol ad placed third favorite among the high school crowd and fourth favorite among the middle school group.
And when students were asked what brand products they remember being advertised during the Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch was the second highest recalled ad for all students
Top 5 National FAVORITE Commercials Top 5 Most Recalled Commercials
Middle School Students Middle School Students
1. Doritos: Goat 4 Sale 1. Doritos
2. Taco Bell: We are Young 2. Budweiser
3. Doritos: Fashionista Daddy 3. Oreo
4. Budweiser: Clydesdale 4. Coca-Cola
5. Oreo: Crème vs. Cookie 5. Taco Bell
What does this mean? Research reveals that young people are drawn to advertising that features animal and people characters, tells a story, and makes them laugh.
Does this mean more kids will now start drinking alcohol because they liked the ad? Maybe.
According to a study where researchers investigated alcohol advertising to learn what makes it attractive to youth, the alcohol ads that young people found to be appealing were more likely to elicit responses from them saying they wanted to purchase the brand and products advertised.
We also know that the more youth are exposed to alcohol advertising, the more likely they are to drink (drink to excess and drink more often.)
“While parents and peers have significant influence on a child’s decision to drink, so do alcohol advertising and marketing,” Drug Free Action Alliance Executive Director Marcie Seidel said.
Youth will continue to be flooded by alcohol ads on their computers, televisions, billboards, and radio. That is why media literacy is so important and why it is taught in the LifeSkills Training Program.
Simply put, media literacy is the ability to read between the lines to recognize the influence of media messages. Children who are media literate can look and listen with a critical eye and ear, helping them to make healthier lifestyle choices and avoid the pressures fueled by media messages to drink, smoke, or use other drugs.
For additional information and resources, please visit the Substance Awareness Center at www.SACIRC.org and the Drug Free Action Alliance at www.DrugFreeActionAlliance.org.
