Some beer, wine, and spirits ads can be misleading because they create a false impression of the brand they try to advertise. The law requires that only those who have attained the age of 21 years should drink alcohol. However, this is not true as alcohol continues to be abused by underage drinkers. The alcoholic beverage companies have been perceived to pretend to advertise to those who are over 21 years while targeting underage drinkers. Because children tend to engage in activities that would make them feel that they have come of age, the advertisements on alcoholic beverages only help to encourage them to take to drinking to make them believe that they have attained adulthood.
Critics have termed the advertisements by alcoholic beverage companies as misleading because they only serve to encourage underage drinking. Federal agencies responsible for regulating the advertising industry have not done so much to act on misleading advertisements. This has only served to encourage underage drinking. The federal trade commission that is charged with the responsibility of reviewing advertisements especially those that are misleading and false has not lived to its expectations as alcoholic beverage makers continue to target youth that have not attained 21 years.
With respect to some advertisements that contain images and themes that are appealing to those who have not attained legal drinking age, a case of Spykes can be cited, where their advertisement in the website used images that were so appealing. They also made use of interactive media where the subscribers could speculate on their likes and dislikes. The advertisements were also so manipulative bearing in mind that the youths’ favorite activities like downloading music and ringtones could be done from the site.