Slovenia

Advertising of alcoholic beverages is partially allowed by the statutory Act Amending and Supplementing the Act Regulating the Sanitary Suitability of Food, Products and Materials Coming into Contact with Food ZZUZIS (link). According to this law, alcohol advertising of beverages containing less than 15 percent alcohol by volume is allowed. Alcoholic beverages containing 15 or less percent alcohol by volume may advertise on media such as newsletters, catalogues, pamphlets and leaflets, which are intended for advertising and business communication and other forms of publication of information, excluding billboards, signboards and neon signs. These beverages may be advertised in newspapers and magazines, radio and television and other forms of daily or periodical publishing editorial content. Alcoholic beverages on radio and television advertising is prohibited between 07:00 am and 21:30 pm, while in cinemas before 22:00 pm.

The Act also lays down the conditions which must be met by the advertising message. Marketing messages:

• must not encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or show positive causal link between drinking alcohol and success in life,
• it should not be given to young people and show people who consume alcohol,
• should not show persons younger than 25 years,
• should not link the consumption of alcohol to enhanced physical performance or to driving in traffic,
• must not create the impression that alcohol consumption contributes to success in social and sexual life,
• should not say that alcohol has therapeutic qualities or that it is a stimulant, a sedative or a means of resolving personal problems,
• should not show abstinence or moderate drinking in a negative light,
• do not place emphasis on high alcoholic content as being a positive quality of alcoholic products,
• should not appear in and on buildings, installations and associated land, where it carries out medical activities and activities of education, sport and education,
• should not appear on billboards, signboards, billboards or neon signs which are from kindergartens and schools situated less than 300 meters,
• should not appear at events which are primarily intended for minors, and at sporting events,
• should not include symbols, images, characters from cartoons and other youth programs.

The Act also provides that the advertising message should bear the warning: “The Minister of Health warns: Consumption of alcohol may be harmful to your health!” Or “Minister of Health warns: excessive drinking of alcohol harms your health!”.

Link: http://www.uradni-list.si/1/objava.jsp?urlid=200052&stevilka=2452

Additionally Slovenia has the SOK  (The Slovenian Advertising Code) – it is a self-regulatory tool in the advertising profession. It is a set of principles and rules that advertisers must respect when designing their ads. The compliance of advertisements with the SOK is judged by the Court of Auditors. It is also covering new media.

http://www.soz.si/sites/default/files/soz_sok_slo.pdf

The subject of the assessment under this Code (SOK) is:
• advertising in newspapers, magazines and other printed publications;
• Advertising on posters and other advertising areas and the media in public places and in places visible from public areas, including moving images;
• advertising in brochures, leaflets, etc .;
• advertising via e-mail, mobile phones, etc .;
• Advertising on television, by radio and cinema;
• advertising in other electronic media, including advertising on the Internet on a leased online advertising space (for example, banners, text ads …) and other forms of advertising on a non-collected space (also viral messages of advertising nature via e-mail and other channels, video and other advertising content on portals intended for socializing) and any other content that is not posted on the advertiser’s website and which can be claimed to have been posted by the advertiser;
• advertising on electronic and video players;
• advertising, written and designed in the style of editorial content, often called “advertorial” and ordered and paid or published