# I just saw an advert for Jack Daniel's on television **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810 "2005-09-28T05:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/1 "2005-09-28T05:00:53Z")
When did this happen? I thought there was a US national ban on hard alcohol adverts over the airwaves. Granted, this was the E! channel, but still. Does that mean we’ll start seeing cigarette ads soon? ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/2 "2005-09-28T05:05:52Z")
In the recent past, OTTOMH, I can remember ads on the TV for Bombay Sapphire Gin (mmm), Smirnoff Vodka (not just the twists), and Disarono (sp?). Now that you mention it, I was in the same camp of thinking… though perhaps it’s just that they can’t show people actually drinking it. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/3 "2005-09-28T05:12:54Z")
I just found this: > [@](#): > > Ads for so-called “hard liquor” have been off the national airwaves since 1948, when the liquor industry imposed a voluntary ban. But that has been changing. Local television stations have accepted and run ads for spirits since 1996. The end of the national ban came as a result of a negotiated agreement between NBC and distillers that will permit the gradual return of liquor ads to the national airwaves. The first ad appeared during a recent edition of “Saturday Night Live.” > > [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june02/liquor\_1-1.html](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june02/liquor_1-1.html) I thought it was an FCC thing. I guess not. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/4 "2005-09-28T05:22:03Z")
Yeah I’ve been seeing commercials for Jim Beam, Jose Cuervo, and a few other types of hard liquor for a while now. I haven’t seen a Jack Daniel’s one, but it wouldn’t supprise me. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/5 "2005-09-28T05:38:38Z")
I don’t understand why tobacco is illegal and liquor isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/6 "2005-09-28T05:39:45Z")
(I mean _illegal to advertise on TV_…) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/7 "2005-09-28T05:41:27Z")
> [@Seven](#): > > Does that mean we’ll start seeing cigarette ads soon? Not without a [change](http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/radio/pa0401.htm) to federal law. > [@](#): > > Friday, April 1st. A staple of radio and television advertising began its demise on this day in 1970 — as President Nixon signed a bill into law, prohibiting cigarette advertising on the nation’s airwaves. The ban went into effect on January 1st of the next year — the first major step in the ongoing debate over the public health risk of smoking. Until then, names such as Lucky Strike, Chesterfield and Philip Morris had sponsored some of the most famous shows since the earliest days of broadcasting. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/8 "2005-09-28T11:01:45Z")
I’m from Corpus Christi, which a few years ago made the news by being the first market in the country to air a commercial for liquor. It was an ad for Crown Royal. Featuring a Weimaraner. (One dog brought the newspaper, and the other dog brought the purple bag of Crown. The one who brought the paper got all sad b/c he wasn’t as good a dog, while the other one wagged. This commercial made me sad, because I felt so badly for the newspaper-bearing dog.) IIRC, from all the excitement at the time, there has never been an official ban on liquor ads on TV. It was a self-imposed “morality” thing that liquor companies observed. Perhaps on the behalf of people like Tipper Gore. Or MADD. Who knows. I don’t recall. For awhile they were only aired after nine or ten p.m…for all I know it could still be that way. I haven’t really paid attention, and I bartend for a living so I watch a lot of really late-night TV. 😃 But I do know I’ve seen plenty of 'em. For Smirnoff, Absolut, Tanqueray, Bacardi, Crown, Jack Daniel’s…pretty much all the heavy-hitting brands. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/9 "2005-09-28T13:25:13Z")
I’ve been seeing TV commercials for Captain Morgan’s for the past few years. They usually feature some dumb-looking beared guy posing like the guy (Captain Morgan, I presume) on the label. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/10 "2005-09-28T14:06:14Z")
Ah yes, the most perverted ads on television. That Captain gets “a little” of him in the most amazing variety of people. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/11 "2005-09-28T16:44:18Z")
Heh, the Captain Morgan ads are amusing. I’ve also seen/noticed Smirnoff, Bacardi (tons of these, for each of the flavors and the new Bacardi Breeze stuff) and a metric shit ton of Grey Goose commercials. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/12 "2005-09-28T16:54:19Z")
It was a self-imposed ban, and I don’t think the Big 3 (NBC, ABC, or CBS) have agreed to run them. Cable is not regulated by the FCC. Each network has its own limitations, like not airing before noon or not airing in programs geared toward children. Certain sports will not allow hard liquor in their events, but beer and wine may be acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/13 "2005-09-29T12:02:34Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Not without a [change](http://www.census.gov/pubinfo/www/radio/pa0401.htm) to federal law. > [@](#): > > **Friday, April 1st.** A staple of radio and television advertising began its demise on this day in 1970 — as President Nixon signed a bill into law, prohibiting cigarette advertising on the nation’s airwaves. The ban went into effect on January 1st of the next year — the first major step in the ongoing debate over the public health risk of smoking. Until then, names such as Lucky Strike, Chesterfield and Philip Morris had sponsored some of the most famous shows since the earliest days of broadcasting. Bolding mine. **Otto** you did notice the date in that quote, right? I’m not saying it isn’t factual, but that date usually requires a bit more fact checking. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/14 "2005-09-29T12:46:22Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I don’t understand why tobacco is illegal and liquor isn’t. I would imagine because nicotine addiction is pretty much a standard feature of smoking, whereas alcoholism is more of an optional extra to drinking, but I could be wrong about that. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/15 "2005-09-29T17:43:57Z")
> [@Madd Maxx](#): > > **Otto** you did notice the date in that quote, right? I’m not saying it isn’t factual, but that date usually requires a bit more fact checking. Don’t you think that if it were legal to advertise cigarettes on TV that there would be cigarette ads on TV? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/16 "2005-09-29T18:07:35Z")
They did have cigar and cigarillo ads on TV into the 1980’s didn’t they? I seem to remember Dutch Master ads during NFL games. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/17 "2005-09-30T04:26:33Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I’ve been seeing TV commercials for Captain Morgan’s for the past few years. They usually feature some dumb-looking beared guy posing like the guy (Captain Morgan, I presume) on the label. Now that you bring it up, I’ve seen those as well. For some reason I thought it was a watered down fizzy drink thing though. Shows how much I phase out adverts I guess. ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-an-advert-for-jack-daniels-on-television/323810/18 "2005-09-30T05:26:03Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Cable is not regulated by the FCC. For now: [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/08/30/fcc\_indecency/](http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/08/30/fcc_indecency/)