New research has found alcohol companies are using digital marketing that ends up targeting problem drinkers on social media.
It found alcohol and gambling companies were sharing consumers' personal data with Facebook to target these people with alcohol ads. Ms Arango also noticed that ads for her favourite alcohol brands, ones that she used to regularly shop for, would also pop up.It is often embedded with merchandise she had expressed interest in, like the "ugly Christmas sweater from Canadian Club", Ms Arango said.She said the model "works" and while she was now aware of it, others who may not be were very affected by it.
She calls it the "near exposure effect" when repetition works at a subconscious level "to increase positive attitudes towards products and to increase preferences and to increase sales".Its chief executive Caterina Giorgi said she wanted the Privacy Act to include protections for problem drinkers online.
In a statement an ABAC spokesperson said people could opt out of alcohol-related ads on social media and it had not come across instances of alcohol companies deliberately targeting their ad to problem drinkers on social media.