The Reason You Never See People Drinking In Beer Commercials

Think back to the last time you watched a beer commercial. Do you remember the actor taking a sip of that cold frosty? Generally, networks avoid showing individuals drinking beer in commercials because it's considered distasteful (pun intended). Although there's no federal law that prohibits showing alcohol consumption on a television commercial, the practice is frowned upon by the National Association of Broadcasters, the organization that sets standards for big networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS. 

Additionally, each network also has a detailed list of requirements for how alcohol can be advertised. For example, NBCUniversal's 2025 handbook states that beer commercials must be appropriate for consumers of legal drinking age without romanticizing the product or its use. 

Bud Light poked fun at this unspoken standard with its 2025 Super Bowl ad and its major dad vibes. As Grammy-nominated singer Post Malone starts to sip his beer, comedian Shane Gillis tells him they have to wait until the commercial is over. 

Although beer commercials are widely accepted on TV, hard liquor is a completely different story. The enactment of the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition on December 5, 1933, allowed distillers to legally sell spirits instead of relying on an illegal underground network, as they done in the previous decade. But hard liquor companies collectively decided to avoid any sort of advertising for their products, fearing that it might reinstate Prohibition. 

In fact, for almost 50 years, whiskey distillers and hard liquor producers voluntarily banned advertisements from radio in 1936 and TV starting in 1948. However, they eventually realized this approach was hurting their business; after all, wine and beer companies enjoyed skyrocketing sales and better relationships with consumers after advertising their products on TV and radio. 

The tide eventually shifted in the 1990s. Hard liquor commercials began airing their inaugural ad campaigns, starting with the popular Canadian liquor brand Crown Royal in 1996. Since then, Jack Daniels, Patrón, Mike's Hard Lemonade, and Twisted Tea (which has a malt base made from beer, not alcohol) have joined the ranks, with no signs of slowing down.