Alcohol Advertising and Violence Against Women: A Media Advocacy Case Study

This article describes one effort to help prevent violence against women by addressing some of the larger societal factors involved. The Dangerous Promises campaign is based on the premise that sexist advertising images contribute to an environment conducive to violence against women. The goal of the campaign is to convince alcohol companies to eliminate sexist alcohol advertising and promotions. Using the tools of community organizing and media advocacy, the campaign pressures the alcohol industry to change the ways in which they portray women in much of their advertising. Media advocacy has been instrumental in the successes of the campaign. This article examines the strategies and outcomes of the Dangerous Promises efforts to date and makes a case for application of media advocacy as a tool for increasing community voice in policymaking processes.