ASA Adjudication on Pitcher and Piano Ltd

Ad

An e-mail, for a Martini promotional event at a Pitcher and Piano (P&P) bar, stated in the subject field "STAY BEAUTIFUL WITH MARTINI". The body copy of the e-mail featured the Martini and P&P logos and the text "STAY BEAUTIFUL". Further text stated "STAY BEAUTIFUL WITH MARTINI AND PITCHER & PIANO DIDSBURY THIS WEEK TO CELEBRATE THEIR NEW MARTINI ... MARTINI HAVE JOINED WITH PITCHER & PIANO DIDSBURY TO BRING YOU AN EVENING OF BEAUTY, WITH COMPLIMENTARY SAMPLES OF THE FABULOUS SUMMER ROSE AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PAMPER YOURSELF WITH GREAT BEAUTY PRIZES."

Issue

The complainant challenged whether the e-mail irresponsibly implied that alcohol could enhance attractiveness.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

P&P and Bacardi-Martini (Martini) submitted a joint response.  

P&P explained that Martini sponsored the event which invited P&P customers, via e-mail, to join an evening of pampering while trying the new Martini Rosato drink.  The Martini Rosato brand offered support to help increase custom during a difficult trading climate, while also treating P&P customers by allowing them to sample beauty products during the evening.

They said the promotion reflected the Martini 'Stay Beautiful' campaign by communicating to customers, through the choice of models and creative treatment, the importance of staying in control by promoting moderate alcohol consumption.  This was a sophisticated ad campaign that targeted women aged between 25 and 34 years.

P&P said the brand was not trying to enhance sexual or social success. They pointed to the strapline "Stay Beautiful" which reinforced the message that the women were just as beautiful at the end of the evening as they were at the start.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted the e-mail invited recipients to a beauty evening where they would be able to try complimentary samples of the Martini Rosato drink.  However, we noted the subject field, "STAY BEAUTIFUL WITH MARTINI", made no reference to the beauty evening. The first claim in the body of the e-mail was the strapline "STAY BEAUTIFUL" which appeared, again without context, underneath the Martini logo.  We noted, therefore, that recipients would not become aware of the beauty evening until they read the smaller text at the end of the e-mail, which appeared under a larger heading "STAY BEAUTIFUL WITH MARTINI ...", which again made no reference to the beauty evening.

We considered that the strapline, "STAY BEAUTIFUL", in conjunction with the Martini logo and the claim "STAY BEAUTIFUL WITH MARTINI" would always be problematic on its own, without context.  In this specific case, even where the context was an invitation to a beauty evening, we considered that the reference to the beauty evening was not prominent enough to counteract the overall impression that Martini helped recipients to stay beautiful.  We concluded that the e-mail irresponsibly implied that alcohol could enhance attractiveness.

The e-mail breached CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Social responsibility) and 56.9 (Alcohol).

Action

The e-mail must not appear again in its current form.  We advised Martini to consult the CAP Copy Advice team for guidance on using the claim or similar claims in future ads.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)