Cellar Trends Ltd Rawdon House Rawdon Terrace Ashby de la Zouch Leicestershire LE65 2GN Number of complaints: 2

Date: 13 August 2008 Media: Poster Sector: Alcohol

Ad
a) A poster for SKYY Vodka featured a man and woman in an apartment with night views of a city. The man was sitting inside a bubble chair, which obscured his face and body. He was holding out a martini glass. A woman, wearing a revealing evening dress, was standing in front of the man with a cocktail shaker. In the bottom left-hand corner of the ad was a picture of a martini glass and a bottle of the product on a table. Small text at the bottom of the ad stated "drinkaware.co.uk".

b) Another poster for SKYY Vodka featured the same man and woman in the same setting. This time, the woman was bending over the man in the bubble chair. An image of the product bottle was superimposed over the right-hand side of the poster. Small text at the bottom of the ad stated "drinkaware.co.uk".

Issue
1. Two complainants challenged whether ads (a) and (b) were a breach of the CAP Code, because they associated alcohol with seduction and sexual success.

2. The ASA challenged whether ads (a) and (b) implied that alcohol could enhance masculinity and attractiveness.

The CAP Code:

56.9

Response
Cellar Trends Ltd (Cellar Trends) said the posters portrayed an elegant, sophisticated woman wearing a stylish and fashionable cocktail dress in a modern setting, that could be either an urban apartment or a trendy bar. They argued that both posters depicted the scene of serving a cocktail, and that the focus of both ads was on the unique blue bottle that consumers would recognise.

1. Cellar Trends said that neither of the posters depicted any sexual activity, but showed instead the characters in conversation during the process of serving a cocktail. They said that a substantial distance was maintained between the man and the woman, and that there was no indication that they were strangers or that seduction was intended or in progress.

Cellar Trends argued that the posters expressed modern cocktail culture in a tasteful and refined setting, as opposed to a traditional pub where cocktails were not generally consumed. They said the ads did not rely on sexual success or seduction as a selling point; nor did the ads directly or indirectly link the sexual success of the characters with the consumption of alcohol. They argued that the urban skyline and modern furniture shown in the ad also drew attention away from the characters, and demonstrated that the brand was a contemporary, sophisticated, glamorous premium drink.

2. Cellar Trends pointed out that the bubble chair obscured all but the man's hands and legs. They argued that because of that the man's masculinity or attractiveness could not be seen or judged. They also said the body contact between the man and woman in the ad was extremely limited. Cellar Trends said the product was consumed equally by men and women, and that the ads were designed to appeal indiscriminately to both.

Assessment
1. Upheld
The ASA noted Cellar Trends' argument that the ads did not depict any sexual activity or seduction between the man and woman, but instead reflected a glamorous, modern cocktail culture. We noted, however, that the man and woman were depicted alone, and that the focus of both ads was on the couple and the product, rather than on an urban setting or the modern furniture. We did not agree with Cellar Trends' argument that a suitable distance was maintained between the man and woman. Rather we noted that ad (a) showed the woman standing astride the man's legs, with their legs touching, and that ad (b) depicted the woman leaning suggestively in towards the man seated in the chair. We noted that in both ads the woman was wearing a revealing dress, and we concluded that the combination of the woman's dress and pose in ads (a) and (b) did link alcohol with seduction and sexual success.

On this point the ads breached CAP Code clause 56.9 (Alcoholic drinks).

2. Upheld
We noted Cellar Trends' argument that the man's face and body was obscured by the bubble chair, and that the product was aimed at both men and women. Nevertheless, we noted that only the man was drinking a cocktail, while the woman appeared to be serving him. We noted that in both ads the woman held strong eye contact with the man, and we considered that the intense and focused expression on her face strongly implied that she was attracted to him. We also considered that that was reinforced by her suggestive body language. We considered that the overall impression of the ads was that the woman was attracted to a man who was masculine, glamorous and aspirational, and we concluded that ads (a) and (b) implied that the man's choice of drink enhanced those qualities.

On this point the ads breached CAP Code clause 56.9 (Alcoholic drinks).

Action
The ads must not appear again in their current form.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)