“Invasive advertising”: alcohol brands too present on social networks, denounces Addictions France

Social networks have become “a weapon of massive propagation for alcohol brands”, warns the Addictions France association, which is calling for a ban on advertising for alcohol on networks and on the internet in general. In a report published this Thursday, November 5, the education, prevention and care association denounces in particular “interstitial” or “invasive” advertisements, this content paid for by brands that platforms insert into Internet users’ news feeds. “To maximize engagement without arousing suspicion”, brands favor “immersion and interaction”, with “mixology recipes, quizzes, surveys, viral competitions exploiting the circle of friends”, she explains.

Out of 20 brands observed on Meta platforms, BrewDog (beer) is the champion in the production of this advertising content, with 1,550 contents observed over one year, compared to 210 on average for other brands, according to Addictions France. Next come the Jägermeister liqueur (655 contents) and the Gérard Bertrand wine (630 contents). Half of the content “exceeds the regulatory framework” According to Addictions France, this content inserted by alcohol brands regularly exceeds the limits imposed by the Evin law, which prohibits advertisements from associating alcohol with partying, conviviality or humor.

Out of 54 contents published on Meta platforms by the Label 5, Bavaria 8. 6 and Jägermeister brands, half “exceed the regulatory framework (...): presence of characters, celebrities, references to tattoo artists, competitions, encouragement of interaction with the community,” she denounces.

As in its previous report last year, Addictions France also highlights the offensive of brands with influencers. Brands make influencers publish, free of charge or for a fee, “moments of life (party, friendship, leisure, etc.), often in video format, in which the alcohol brand is visible in a more or less subtle way,” criticizes Addictions France.

Among the champions in this area, Saint-Germain elderberry alcohol (spotted in 87 publications from 35 different influencers). Towards a “pure and simple” ban? These “commercial collaborations frequently generate thousands, even tens of thousands of reactions, comments and shares, testifying to their ability to capture the attention of users and promote the memorization of advertising messages,” criticizes the association.

Addictions France regularly launches legal proceedings against alcohol brands and influencers who lend themselves to their campaigns. In 2025, it thus obtained the conviction of Heineken to two fines of 50,000 euros (case on appeal) by the Paris Criminal Court.

The influencers involved in the case were also sanctioned, but exempted from punishment. But the association cannot prosecute all the violations noted, and it calls for an outright ban on alcohol advertising on the internet - as is already the case for television.

Machine-translated from French