ASA Non-broadcast Adjudication: Bacardi-Martini Ltd

Complaint

Objection to a poster, for Bacardi rum, that showed Vinnie Jones, a well-known actor and an ex-footballer, wearing a dinner jacket and holding two bottles, by the neck, with one resting on each shoulder. The strapline claimed "Welcome to the Latin qu4rter". The complainant, who believed Vinnie Jones was holding the bottles as though he was going to hit somebody with them, objected that the poster linked alcohol with aggression and violence.

CAP Code (Edition 11)

Ruling

Complaint not upheld

The advertisers said Vinnie Jones was well-known for his role in the film "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and the photograph parodied a pose from that film. They said he was shown at a party and they had chosen a photograph that showed him smiling. The advertisers said their research, which was carried out before the poster was displayed, had found that most people thought the photograph was suitable for use as a poster; the research also found that most people linked the pose with Vinnie Jones''s role in "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and no one commented that it encouraged violence. The advertisers said the poster had been displayed close to bars and pubs. The Authority considered that, although he was well-known for violence on the football pitch and on screen, the poster showed Vinnie Jones smiling and in a relaxed pose; it concluded that the poster did not link alcohol with aggression or violence.