In English

TOTAL BLOCKER - AGAINST ALCOHOL MARKETING

Photographs from Total Blocker events are collected on the Facebook page of viinamainos.info.

CHECK OUT OUR TOTAL BLOCKER VIDEO!

Finnish alcohol legislation forbids the advertising of alcohol to minors. The video produced for the Total Blocker campaign reminds us that despite the law, advertisements for alcohol reach teenagers in many ways: outdoors, at home and in the context of sponsorships and sales promotion.

CAMPAIGN GOALS

The Finnish TOTAL BLOCKER campaign is part of an influencing project that is promoting for comprehensive content restrictions in alcohol marketing as is done in France.

Although advertising strong liquors (over 22 %) is illegal in Finland, it is allowed to promote milder alcohol products (beer, wine etc.) within certain restrictions. The current alcohol act gives the alcohol industry a lot of leeway, and even the most obvious violations can be dealt with only after the fact.

SITUATION IN FINLAND

Previous goverment signed a bill that dried up

In 2010, 106 out of the 200 members of the previous Finnish Parliament (2007 – 2011) signed the bill for banning aspirational advertising of alcohol (comprehensive content restrictions). Numerous Finnish NGOs backed it up. However, the bill dried up in the hands of the Minister of Health and Social Services just before the parliamentary elections in April 2011. Needless to say, that alcohol industry has established a strong role in forming alcohol related legislation.

Survey: 120 out of 200 members of the new Finnish parliament support comprehensive content restrictions of alcohol marketing

The new Finnish Government was formed in June 2011. According to our survey (May 2011), 120 out of the 200 members of the new Parliament support comprehensive content restrictions of alcohol marketing. Also the new Minister of Health and Social Services has been speaking about restrictions. Several non-government organisations have expressed support for banning the advertising of alcohol altogether. Practise will show what will happen to the legislation of alcohol marketing. The influencing carried out through the TOTAL BLOCKER campaign will be continued.

Finnish government agenda released 17th of June 2011 - alcohol related issues

Current Finnish Alcohol Act

VIINAMAINOS.INFO WEBSITE - HOME OF THE TOTAL BLOCKER

The home of the Total Blocker campaign is the website www.viinamainos.info (“boozeadvert.info”).

It is updated with the latest news on the Finnish debate on alcohol marketing, and users can submit photographs of alcohol advertisements they have come across.

Photographs from Total Blocker events are collected on the Facebook page of viinamainos.info. For now, the materials exist in Finnish only, apart from this info page and the Total Blocker video (situation in June 2011).

CAMPAIGN OPERATORS

The campaign is coordinated by

- Association for Healthy Lifestyles (Elämäntapaliitto)

Other partners:

- Finnish Parents' Association

- The Consumers' Association of Finland

- Finland’s ASH - Action on Smoking and Health

- Finnish Youth Cooperation – Allianssi

- Cancer Society of Finland

Campaign is funded by:

- Finnish Slot Machine Association (Raha-automaattiyhdistys RAY).

Association for Healthy Lifestyles (Elämäntapaliitto) is a member of Eurocare - European Alcohol Policy Alliance. Total Blocker in the Eurocare - Alcohol in the news 6th of July 2011.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Project Manager Kiti Poikonen

kiti.poikonen (at) elamantapaliitto.fi, p. +358404514199

www.viinamainos. info / www.elamantapaliitto.fi

Association for Healthy Lifestyles - Elämäntapaliitto (Finnish NGO)

From January 2012 Elämäntapaliitto will be called Ehkäisevä päihdetyö - EHYT ry