Stakeholder framing of advertising legislation: An analysis of media and parliamentary representations of the Loi Evin in the United Kingdom (2018)

OBJECTIVE: The Loi Evin legislation restricts alcohol advertising in France and is more comprehensive than the self-regulation-based U.K. approach. Through contributions to news media and parliamentary processes, stakeholders can play an important role in framing the debate around public policy. This project therefore aimed to analyze how the Loi Evin has been represented since its inception in U.K. media and Parliament by the advertising and alcohol industries, politicians, and nongovernmental organizations.
METHOD: Qualitative analysis of media and parliamentary documents using the hermeneutic method, analyzing contexts in which the Loi Evin was mentioned by stakeholders in the media and in Parliament. Print and trade media articles referencing the Loi Evin were retrieved from the ProQuest media archive [from 1985 to 2016]. U.K. parliamentary representations referencing the Loi Evin were obtained from the parliamentary database for publications and the Hansard parliamentary record. A total of 109 documents referencing the Loi Evin were identified, of which 71 met the inclusion criteria and were included for analysis.
RESULTS: The alcohol and advertising industries have framed the Loi Evin as incompatible with European Union principles, irrational and ineffective, with arguments changing over time in response to landmark events and rulings. Supporters of Loi Evin-style legislation failed to counter industry framing of advertising as not contributing to increased consumption.
CONCLUSIONS: The portrayal of the Loi Evin by industry in the United Kingdom is an important example of policy framing and provides evidence of the synergy between advertising and alcohol industry representatives in combatting legislation that could harm profits.