IAB UK response to Scottish Government’s consultation on alcohol advertising in Scotland

Update, 20 April 2023: The Scottish Government's new First Minister Humza Yousaf has announced that it is to pause the consultation on outlined proposals to restrict alcohol advertising and promotion in Scotland to allow the Government to agree a new set of proposals with industry and public health stakeholders. Read more on the news here. 
 

In November 2022, as part of its wider work on tackling alcohol-related harms in Scotland, the Scottish Government published a public consultation seeking views on a range of proposals to restrict alcohol advertising across various mediums in Scotland, including online channels. The consultation closed on 9 March 2023.

At this stage the Scottish Government is looking to ascertain whether there’s likely to be public support for the sort of changes being mooted, so all proposals are high-level and exploratory.

It’s important to note that proposals in the consultation would only apply to Scotland - there is no suggestion that the UK Government is considering any similar policy changes.

The online marketing section of the consultation invited views on whether there should be restrictions on paid-for alcohol advertising online, as well as on alcohol advertising via social media. IAB UK has submitted a response to the consultation arguing that there is no case for statutory restrictions on paid-for alcohol advertising in Scotland.  You can download our response below.