Ad description

An online prize promotion by Bacardi Oakheart, seen on 19 October 2011, was featured as the background of the Kiss FM 'Kube' website. Text stated "Win £1000 towards an ADVENTURE for you and your mates. Enter here for your chance to win".

Issue

A complainant challenged whether the alcohol promotion was irresponsible and inappropriately targeted, because he understood that Kiss FM's core demographic was 15 to 24 year olds.

Response

Bacardi-Martini Ltd (Bacardi) said the competition was targeted at 30 year old male socialisers who enjoyed spending quality time with their friends. They said they chose Kiss FM because it fit with their advertising demographic as well as their own internal demographics, with 75% of consumers aged 18 and over. Bacardi said their agency always checked Rajar (Radio Joint Audience Research) figures before any activity went ahead, and said RAJAR figures showed 76% of Kiss100 listeners were over 18, while Neilsen research showed 87.6% of the www.totalkiss.com <> audience were over 18.

Bacardi said once a consumer clicked on the ad they were required to go through an age gate page that contained a responsible drinking message and asked them to confirm they were over the legal drinking age. They said once the winner was chosen the agency rang them and asked them to confirm in writing that they were over the legal drinking age.

Bauer Radio Ltd said they noted that the CAP Code stated that no medium should be used to advertise alcoholic drinks if more than 25% of its audience was under 18 years of age, and stated that 87.61% of the totalkiss.com audience was over 18. They supplied Nielsen research data to support the figures and said the implementation of the age gate page provided additional screening for under 18 users.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA noted that CAP Code  18.15 18.15 Marketing communications must not be directed at people under 18 through the selection of media or the context in which they appear. No medium should be used to advertise alcoholic drinks if more than 25% of its audience is under 18 years of age.  stated "Marketing communications must not be directed at people under 18 through the selection of media or the context in which they appear. No medium should be used to advertise alcoholic drinks if more than 25% of its audience is under 18 years of age" and noted that the research supplied showed less than 25% of the radio and website audiences for Kiss FM were under 18. We therefore concluded the promotion was not irresponsible or inappropriately targeted.

Action

No further action necessary.

CAP Code (Edition 12)

1.3     18.1     18.14     18.15    


More on