Alcohol marketing
Alcohol marketing is restricted by law. The goal of the restrictions is to reduce any harm caused by alcohol.
The marketing of alcoholic beverages is primarily supervised by the Regional State Administrative Agencies. They supervise the marketing of alcoholic beverages in their respective regions. Valvira supervises the marketing of alcoholic beverages that takes place in the region of more than one Regional State Administrative Agency or that is implemented nationally.
Valvira has published guidelines for marketing of alcoholic beverages. You can find the guidelines at the end of this page. The guidelines cover the application of the provisions of the Alcohol Act on marketing and also present the previous decisions of the supervisory authorities.
Marketing of strong alcoholic beverages is prohibited by law
The advertising, indirect advertising and other sales promotion of strong alcoholic beverages containing more than 22 per cent of alcohol by volume are prohibited by the Alcohol Act. They are only permitted in separately defined exceptional cases, including in licensed premises and retail outlets for strong alcoholic beverages and in printed and online price lists. More information about the marketing of strong alcoholic beverages is available on the page “Marketing strong alcoholic beverages” and in the guidelines on alcohol marketing at the end of this page.
Mild alcoholic beverages can be marketed with restrictions
As a rule, the advertising, indirect advertising and other sales promotion of mild alcoholic beverages containing at most 22 per cent of alcohol by volume are permitted, while the Alcohol Act sets various restrictions on different forms of marketing. For example, advertising is not permitted in public places, and it cannot be targeted at minors or be contrary to good practice. More information about the marketing of mild alcoholic beverages is available on the page “Marketing mild alcoholic beverages” and in the guidelines on alcohol marketing at the end of this page.
Frequently asked questions about the marketing of alcohol
Strong alcoholic beverages can be marketed indoors in licensed, production and retail sales premises, but not on websites or in social media services or public places.
You may also market strong alcoholic beverages to anyone participating in the sale of alcoholic beverages. However, this cannot take place on a website accessible by consumers. In this case, you also need to address the restrictions of the Alcohol Act on the advertising of mild alcoholic beverages.
Otherwise, the marketing, indirect marketing and other sales promotion of strong alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
You can market mild alcoholic beverages, while the content and implementation of advertisements are subject to various restrictions. For example, advertisements cannot be targeted at minors or be contrary to good practice. Advertising is prohibited in public places, and TV and radio advertising is prohibited between 7 am and 10 pm. More information about these restrictions is available in the guidelines on alcohol marketing at the end of this page.
If the advertiser is for example a restaurant or grocery store, you can report the advertisement to the Regional State Administrative Agency in whose area the vendor is located. If the advertiser is a national operator or a producer of alcoholic beverages, you can report the advertisement to Valvira. While the Consumer Protection Act applies to all marketing, the Alcohol Act takes precedence in the case of the marketing of alcoholic beverages.