The economics literature shows that advertising can increase the sale of individual brands but, in mature markets, does not increase aggregate sales of the type of product being
advertised.
The European Court of Justice has today ruled that minimum pricing for alcohol is illegal if less restrictive measures, such as tax rises, can serve the same purpose of reducing alcohol consumption.
Alcohol policy in Britain and many other countries aims to reduce per capita alcohol consumption in the belief that this will inevitably reduce heavy and harmful drinking. The cornerstone policies of this approach are advertising bans, licensing restrictions and higher taxes.