Rep. Case makes his case for
better discretion in advertising

"Highly targeted advertising works," he said. That is a blessing for advertising agencies, the products advertised and the media companies who love them.

But, Case said, it can be a problem for the public.

In an address to the Hawaii Publishers Association and the Hawaii Advertising Federation at Hilton Hawaiian Village yesterday, Case spoke most passionately about the alcohol industry and how, despite its denials, it targets underage drinkers.

Alcohol is the "No. 1 drug for teens. The question is, is the liquor industry targeting teens? I don't have any doubt," he said. The industry has adopted the techniques proven successful by the tobacco industry, Case said.

Case also blamed the pharmaceutical industry -- "the most powerful lobby" in Washington -- for skyrocketing Medicare costs.

In 1997, the industry spent between $150 million and $200 million on direct-to-consumer advertising, he said. The figure is now up to $4 billion a year.

There are efforts in Congress to ban or control the industry's influence, since physicians are tired of being pressured by advertising-swayed patients who demand a certain brand of medication when another, lesser-known drug might be more effective.

"I have a pretty healthy dislike of the (pharmaceutical) industry," he said. However, Case has not yet supported regulatory bills, saying they are based more on a dislike of the industry than on a careful effort to shape public policy.

Case stopped short of proposing governmental remedies for his concerns but noted the moral, political and public policy drive toward regulating media content and consolidation of media ownership.

Consolidation is hardly limited to the media, he said, noting the defense, transportation and drug industries. It is a sign of the industries being "in survival mode in the international business climate."

When the Federal Communications Commission tried to further relax media ownership limits, the agency was bombarded by what Case called "tremendous visceral concern (from) around the country."

It was the top concern constituents communicated to his office at the time.

The broadcast indecency brawl hit new heights when pop icon Justin Timberlake ripped away singer Janet Jackson's bustier during the 2004 Super Bowl. Resentment had been simmering for years before that, however, as mainstream networks increasingly pushed the envelope to compete against racier, grittier content on cable.

"I think we have widely supported indecency standards," Case said. "People don't want to be surprised by the F-word" during family TV programming. "There is a sense that enforcement is insufficient."

Case did not blame the media for the nation's ills, but hinted that self-discipline in advertising might be a good thing.

There is little government interest in regulating extreme corporate behavior, or "outright consumer abuse," Case said. "It's about as simple as 'those interests won and have a sympathetic Congress.'"