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<tr><td><b>Comment Number: </b></td><td>526363-00020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Received: </b></td><td>11/7/2006 11:34:51 AM</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Organization: </b></td><td>Boone County Prevention</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Commenter: </b></td><td>Susan Herrick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>State: </b></td><td>IA</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Agency: </b></td><td>Federal Trade Commission</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rule: </b></td><td>Alcohol Reports</td></tr>

<tr><td>No Attachments</td></tr></Table>

<hr><P><b>Comments:</b></p>Alclohol advertisers have studied and targeted our youth.  This is spotlighted in a Columbia Unversity study that stated that 17.5 percent - 22.5 billion - of alcohol industry revenue is attributable to underage drinking.  No wonder they want us to believe that advertising has nothing to do with why kids drink.  When you look at the recent Absolut Vodka campaign that increased sales from 54,000 cases to 2.4 million cases, it is easy to conclude that the industry has a compelling financial motive to attempt to maintain or increase rates of underage drinking. Half of all money spent on alcohol comes from underage and adult excessive drinkers.  With only 8% of an ad's message being received by the conscious mind, it is easy for us to believe that we are not influenced by advertising but it is crucial with advertising literally submerging the public in its messages that we find a way to  regulate compliance with advertising placement provisions, sales and marketing expenditures, and the status of third-party review of complaints regarding compliance with voluntary advertising codes.

 

I urge the Federal Trade Commssion to enact provisions that will protect our youth from the predation of the alcohol industry.  Let us not offer up our youth, own cultural integrity, common sense and intelligence to this chemical of addiction.

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