ASA Adjudication on Moet Hennessy UK Ltd

Ad

A national press ad, for Belvedere vodka, showed a man sitting on a couch with a woman on either side of him. Both women were looking at the man's face and the woman on his left had her arm around his neck. On a table in front of them were plates of food, glasses of drink and a half full bottle of Belvedere vodka. Text stated "LUXURY REBORN".

Issue

The complainant objected that the ad was irresponsible, because it linked alcohol with sexual success.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Moet Hennessy UK (MHUK) said the ad depicted a group of three people enjoying an informal social occasion in a lounge bar in Downtown New York. They argued that, while the people were glamorous in appearance, they were also relaxed and comfortable; they believed the informality of the occasion was indicated by the casual nature of the pose and the food on the table. They believed the occasion could be any time of day, such as a weekend lunch, a meeting before going out, a casual dinner, or food after a club. MHUK argued that there was no suggestion that there was any relationship other than friendship between any of the three people, apart from the mildly flirtatious gesture of the girl who had reached upwards with her arm to put it around the mans neck.     

MHUK believed the ad fully complied with the CAP Code. They asserted that the characters shown were not a couple and believed there was no suggestion of sexual contact or an erotic atmosphere; they said they were fully clothed in a public place, eating a meal and sharing a cocktail. They argued that, while the image was intentionally glamorous and there was a touch of sensuality in the pose of the girl on the right, there was no suggestion of any sexual motive. They believed the body language of the three suggested affection between them, but argued that there was nothing to imply that sexual activity had taken, or was about to take, place.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted MHUKs comments but also noted one of the women had her arm around the mans neck and was staring up at him. We noted all three of the people were sitting in very close proximity and that the mans shirt and bow tie were undone. We considered that the expressions of the women and the close physical contact of all three people, particularly the woman with her arm around the mans neck, implied that both women were sexually attracted to the man. We noted the bottle of Belvedere on the table in front of them and considered that the image implied that Belvedere had enhanced the mans attractiveness; we concluded that the ad linked Belvedere with sexual success and therefore breached the Code.

The ad breached CAP Code clause 56.9 (Alcoholic drinks).

Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)