Group Says Beer Ads, Halloween Don’t Mix

The Ventura County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is joining a national campaign to ban Halloween images from beer advertising campaigns.

“Several years ago, the alcohol industry agreed to leave Santa Claus alone because that was a children’s holiday,” said Linda Oxenreider of Camarillo, MADD’s vice chairwoman for the state of California. “Now we’re asking them to do the same thing for Halloween.”

Oxenreider said MADD was disturbed to note an increasing number of alcohol advertisements geared toward children through Halloween symbols such as bats and witches.

“In 1983, Coors even made themselves the official beer of Halloween,” she said.

MADD chapters across the country are sending letters to alcohol producers and retailers asking them to abstain from advertising campaigns geared toward children and teen-agers. Oxenreider said some local beer merchants have refused to use Halloween-related advertising material.

“We know that adults have parties and if they are going to drink, they’ll buy beer,” Oxenreider said. “But they don’t need bats or trick-or-treat bags from Budweiser.”