Ms Suzanne Costello:

On two points made by Mr. Mac Mathúna, while the copy clearance has some merit, all the advertisements we see have passed copy clearance, including the squirrel advertisement I mentioned earlier. We hear much about market share. Alcohol companies have to create markets for good. Alcohol is not necessarily for life, and good marketing creates a need for it. Advertising targets competitors' customers but also tries to increase consumption by existing customers and recruit new customers. It is important we remember this, given that it sometimes gets lost in the market share argument. We talk a lot about alcohol brands sponsoring sports. Increasingly, women's events, such as ladies' days and fashion shows, are being sponsored by alcohol brands. This, too, is a particularly potent form of sponsorship. There has been a complete change in women's drinking habits over the past ten years, and the association of alcohol brands, especially wine brands, with fashion shows and ladies' day events is very much part of it.