Young’s adjudication sets benchmark for alcohol advertisements

27 February 2006

January saw the first ban on an alcohol ad since tighter non-broadcast and TV alcohol rules came into force on 1 October 2005 in response to concern about the effect of advertising on underage and irresponsible drinking.  For those who called for more clarity on how to interpret the new rules, the adjudication should act as a useful benchmark. 

The ASA upheld complaints about two Young’s Bitter posters, on the grounds that they linked alcohol with seduction and social success.  The ads were part of a campaign launched under the old alcohol rules but continued under the new ones.

The new-look campaign was intended to revitalise the traditional Young’s brand, which has always been symbolised by a ram’s head.  One ad showed a man, dressed in a white suit with a ram’s head, next to a swimming pool and surrounded by women in bikinis paying him attention. The headline, alongside a pint of beer and Young’s logo, stated “This is a ram’s world”. The other ad featured the same ram-headed man in a Gentleman’s club, this time flanked by men laughing at his jokes, and carried the same strapline.

 
These are the lessons from the adjudication: 

• The ASA did not accept the contention that the idea of a man dressed as a ram in the depicted situations was so unreal that the viewer would not link the advertised drink with the possibility of sexual or social success.  The ASA found that the statement "This is a ram's world" emphasised that Young's drinkers were personified by the ram.
• The ASA considered that, by stating the headline and showing the “ram” as the focal point of the attentions of several women, the poolside poster suggested Young's drinkers were more likely to be the target for seduction.  Because it linked the image of an alcohol brand with seduction, the ad breached the Code.
• By showing the “ram” as the centre of social attention, both ads linked alcohol with social success.
• The absence in the advertisements of alcohol being consumed did not matter.

As well as not implying sexual or social success, advertisements must not link alcohol with popularity or confidence, anti-social behaviour, solitary drinking, improved physical performance, strength, irresponsible or under-age drinking or therapeutic qualities.
The concerns that resulted in the changes to the CAP Code and the BCAP TV Code were mainly about underage and irresponsible drinking.  The Young’s posters had nothing to do with those concerns.  So we might expect the ASA to be concerned about alcohol ads that have youth appeal or show juvenile or irresponsible behaviour.  If posters for Young’s bitter can attract censure from the ASA, advertisers of alcoholic drinks targeted at young adults should take special care with their new campaign

You can find the new non-broadcast alcohol rules and the new TV rules and TV Guidance Notes in The Codes section of the CAP website.

To read the Young’s adjudication of 11 January 2006, click here.