Disney Marketing Near Beer to Kids
After the Walt Disney Company got lambasted for the marketing of “children’s champagne” you’d think they would steer clear of anything that could be promoted as a gateway to alcoholism for yougsters. Why then is Disney allowing Caribbean Beer Maker Samba to market a malt and hops laden energy drink to children using popular Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Winne the Pooh, and Lion King figures. If you even try to access the Company’s website you are greeted with the following:
This site is for use only if you are of legal drinking age in your country of residence or the country where are you accessing this site. If you are not of legal age please leave this site.
Below are some screenshots from Samba’s website:
When Disney was sharply criticized for the “Fizzy Juice”, comparisons were drawn to the controversial cigarette sweets, which are still sold to children despite known risks. According to research published in the British Medical Journal in 2000, children who have used sweet cigarettes are more likely to become adult smokers.
American researchers found that executives in the tobacco industry regarded sweet cigarettes as good advertising for future smokers. Withdrawing the confectionery from sale could even reduce tobacco use among young people, concluded researchers.
Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at Glasgow University, said: “It is a matter of serious concern that Disney has chosen to present soft drinks to young people that so very clearly resemble alcoholic products.
“In Scotland we have a huge problem with underage drinking. Some of our strongest alcoholic products have penetrated the world of children and young people. “