ASA Adjudication on Taking Liberties Ltd

Ad

A leaflet for a nightclub stated "VODKA NATIONWIDE. Teesides's biggest student only party! Welcome to the world's wildest club! 'Super sexy boys and girls get ready ... Vodka Nationwide is dedicated to all of you out there who love to Party hard dance til dawn wake up in someone elses [sic] bed, lose your shoes your inhibitions & your mind! ... underwear recommended but not essential!". The body copy also featured, several images of young people in various costumes and details of the drinks prices at the event, for instance "£1 VODKA SHOTS!" and "£1.50 KRONENBOURG, STELLA, FOSTERS BOTTLES".

Issue

The complainant objected that the ad promoted binge drinking and irresponsible sexual behaviour.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Response

Taking Liberties said they were one of the leading youth marketing companies in the country and they specialised in organising events for students in university cities nationwide. They maintained that a million copies of the leaflet had been printed and circulated across the country, with minor amendments for each city and venue name, over a 10-year period and they had received no complaints. They added that they had won and been nominated for several local and national industry awards for their events and that their managing director advised the Home Office on the 'Safer Clubbing' policy document, prepared as guidance for licensing authorities, club managers and promoters.

Taking Liberties said the student event brand 'Vodka Nationwide' had operated nationally since 1998. They said the ad was distributed solely to students direct to their halls of residence or given to students by hand outside university campuses. They maintained that it was not available to the general public.  Taking Liberties said they also ensured that all their ads contained the "www.drinkaware.co.uk - ENJOY YOUR DRINK RESPONSIBLY" message, which was not compulsory to add.

Taking Liberties maintained that the student nightclub events industry was highly competitive with numerous venues and promoters all enticing students with offers and promotions.  They said they merely provided a service that catered for students' demand for partying and events.  Taking Liberties did not agree with the complainant that the ad promoted binge drinking because the ad headlined the entertainment on offer rather than drinks. They added that the drinks offers were not displayed on the outside cover of the ad and were written three-quarters of the way down the inside of the leaflet.

Taking Liberties maintained that the drinks prices were not so low that they encouraged over-consumption. They said the prices were set competitively and reasonably with the most popular drinks listed. Taking Liberties said there were many other operators offering students 'all you can drink' and 'happy hour' promotions, which they chose not to do. They also maintained that there was no incentive in the ad to 'speed drink' or drink irresponsibly.

Taking Liberties did not agree with the complainant that the ad promoted irresponsible sexual behaviour. They maintained that there was no reference to sexual behaviour and no implication that sexual activity would take place either at or after the event. They believed the ad did not imply that the key to sexual success was through attending the event and it did not link alcohol with sexual behaviour. Taking Liberties pointed out that as a company they had been appointed by the Department of Health to target the youth clubbing market by using street-level promotional campaigns and eye catching brands, to promote safer and responsible sexual practise.

Taking Liberties said the ad was intended to hype their event, but they did not believe anyone would infer that phrases such as 'underwear recommended but not essential!' were used seriously.  Taking Liberties said they had shown the leaflet to male and female students at Leeds University who agreed with their view that the leaflet was typical of a student night.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted the ad was targeted solely at students. We noted it featured several images of young women dressed provocatively, including some wearing bikini tops with "Vodka" written across the front.  We considered that the references to alcoholic drinks in conjunction with claims such as "Super sexy boys and girls get ready ... Vodka Nationwide is dedicated to all of you out there who love to Party hard dance til dawn wake up in someone elses [sic] bed, lose your shoes your inhibitions & your mind! ... underwear recommended but not essential!" was likely to lead some readers to infer that excessive drinking and sexual related themes were a part of the event.  Although we noted Taking Liberties' argument that the approach was merely intended to 'hype' the promotion of an event targeted solely at students, we considered that the ad, when taken as a whole, focused on alcohol as an important  part of the event and was likely to be seen by some readers to have allusions to sexual activity. We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible and in breach of the Code.

The ad breached CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Responsible advertising) and 11.1 (Violence and anti-social behaviour).

Action

The ad must not appear again in its current form.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)