ADVERTISING DRINK
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—Until recently, though all the other big brewery concerns had for many years past advertised their beers, the brewery of Dublin stout, like the Bank of England, never advertised.
They are now doing so, the chairman of the company says, because sales were not increasing as they had done in the past, and he informed the shareholders that so far results had justi- fied the advertising. I think, however, I see that one effect is an attempt on the part of, at any rate, one other big brewery to intensify its advertising, and! wonder if this will bring about a like increase in sales. I suppose then that these increased sales are being made at the expense of the brewers who are not increasing their advertising, or does it mean a larger con- sumption of beer in the aggregate ? I am inclined to doubt the latter, for after all, taking the population as a whole, they can have no more money to spend on beer now than they had before the advertising campaign began.
The particular beer in question is said to be good for you, and is strongly recommended for various ailments, but no dose is given with the prescription. This will not do at all for some people, as, for instance, the lady whom I observed one day on an excursion steam boat, who between London and Ramsgate got through a dozen bottles. Certainly she was of the large size, but in some respects ordinary people would have said the stout had not been good for her, though
I admit she seemed very happy ; and after what she had seen in the newspaper and all the tube stations, I cannot see that much blame attached to her. Of course, if it does not cause an undue consumption of beer, but only a different distribution of the different brands of beer, the only people who suffer are the advertisers, but if, on the other hand, weak people are induced to drink a larger quantity than they otherwise would it looks as if some one may have to suffer, for there will be less money to spend on other necessaries—say, milk for the children and also clothing though, of course, in these days some will say there is not nearly as much needed for this as was the case a few years ago.
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