Background
Summary of Council decision:
Two issues were investigated; one was Upheld and one was Not upheld.
Ad description
A TV ad for Lambrini products featured three women dressed in loungewear on a sofa laughing. One woman had rollers in her hair. The next scene showed a woman dressed in eveningwear ringing the doorbell to join them with a bottle of Lambrini in her hand. Various scenes depicted the women laughing, talking, putting on makeup and getting ready for the evening. One scene showed a woman pouring herself a glass of Lambrini in the kitchen. The next scene showed several women coming towards the apartment; some of them had arrived in limousines and some were shown holding bottles of Lambrini. They were welcomed in to join the others. Various scenes showed women laughing, taking pictures, dancing and pouring Lambrini. The end of the ad featured the Lambrini drink range and a voice-over stated, "Make it a Lambrini Big Night In". Further on-screen text linked to the website "LambriniBigNightIn.com" and the Twitter hashtag "#BigNightIn". A backing track was played throughout the ad, titled "I think we're alone now".
Issue
1. Two complainants challenged whether the ad implied that the success of a social occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol.
2. One complainant challenged whether the ad portrayed alcohol as capable of changing mood and behaviour by enhancing enjoyment.
Response
1. Halewood International Ltd said that the ad showed friends enjoying a night in. They said that the bottles of Lambrini only featured briefly in the ad and were not depicted as a central part of the enjoyment. They said there was no suggestion that anyone's evening was enhanced by consuming alcohol. They pointed out that no one was shown drinking throughout the ad and, therefore, there was no indication that Lambrini was contributing to the success of the occasion. They explained that there was no suggestion that anyone who was not drinking was not enjoying the occasion. They pointed out that the ad showed the women getting ready for the party, taking pictures and dancing with friends without drinking alcohol. They said, although some of the women were shown with moderately-sized wine glasses, the majority were shown without a glass.
Clearcast said the ad did not show excessive drinking and not everyone in the ad was shown with Lambrini. They pointed out that many of the women in the ad did not have a glass of Lambrini at any point during the ad. They said that whenever one woman was shown holding a bottle of Lambrini she was always standing with at least one other woman who was not holding a bottle. They explained that a bottle of original Lambrini was almost twice the recommended daily intake for women, and by showing at least two women with one bottle, they were suggesting that the alcohol would be shared. They said that, throughout the ad, some women had or poured a glass of Lambrini, while others did not. They pointed out that during the first ten seconds of the ad, only one glass of Lambrini was shown, and just before the end, only two out of the five women who were dancing were holding glasses. They said nobody was shown drinking the product and those not carrying a bottle or glass were not depicted as enjoying the party any less than those who were. They said the tagline "Lambrini Big Night In" did not suggest that there was any requirement to drink alcohol as part of the occasion because the ad had showed many people not drinking throughout the ad.
2. Halewood said that the ad made it clear that all the women knew each other and were at ease in each others' company. They said that, at the beginning of the ad, it was established that the women were friends. They said that there was no suggestion that anyone felt compelled to drink, or that alcohol was required to enhance a particular person's popularity or confidence. They pointed out that there was no indication that anyone was heavily intoxicated or drinking irresponsibly, or that anyone's mood changed throughout the course of the evening. They said that the ad was not shown around programmes commissioned for, principally directed at, or likely to appeal to audiences below the age of 18.
Clearcast said that those at the party who were not shown drinking were depicted as having as good a time as those that were. They pointed out that the women were shown in loungewear laughing and enjoying themselves before any Lambrini was shown. They also said that they were shown to be in a happy mood before any suggestion of alcohol consumption was made.
Ponderosa, the advertisers' agency, reiterated the comments provided by the advertisers and Clearcast.
Assessment
1. Upheld
The ASA acknowledged that the ad did not show the women drinking the Lambrini. We also noted that there was no suggestion that anyone who was not drinking was not enjoying the party. However, we noted that the ad included eight shots of the Lambrini bottle, two of which showed Lambrini being poured into large glasses. We also noted that the last three shots of the party showed four different women holding glasses of Lambrini. We considered that the ad gave the impression that a significant amount of Lambrini was being consumed during the course of the evening by those attending the party. We also noted that the voice-over stated, "Make it a Lambrini Big Night In" and the on-screen text stated "LambriniBigNightIn.com … #BigNightIn" and considered that the slogan further suggested that Lambrini was a central part of the success of the evening. Because we considered the slogan "Big Night In" and the repeated inclusion of the product gave the impression that the alcohol was a key component of the success of the party, we concluded that the ad was irresponsible.
On that point, the ad breached BCAP Code 1.2 1.2 Advertisements must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the audience and to society. (Responsible advertising) and 19.4 19.4 Advertisements must not imply that drinking alcohol is a key component of social success or acceptance or that refusal is a sign of weakness. Advertisements must not imply that the success of a social occasion depends on the presence or consumption of alcohol. (Alcohol).
2. Not upheld
We noted that, at the beginning of the ad, before the first shot of the Lambrini, the women were shown laughing and joking together and we considered that there were several shots of the women enjoying themselves before the first shot of the Lambrini being poured, which we considered was the first suggestion that the alcohol was being consumed. We noted that, throughout the ad, the women continued to be shown laughing and joking together. Notwithstanding point 1, in which we considered that the ad suggested that alcohol was a key component of the success of the social occasion, we considered that the ad did not depict action which showed the effect of alcohol changing the mood or behaviour of the women in the ad. We therefore concluded that the ad was not irresponsible on that point.
On that point, we investigated the ad under BCAP Code 1.2 1.2 Advertisements must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the audience and to society. (Responsible advertising) and 19.8 19.8 Advertisements must not imply that alcohol has therapeutic qualities. Alcohol must not be portrayed as capable of changing mood, physical condition or behaviour or as a source of nourishment. Although they may refer to refreshment, advertisements must not imply that alcohol can improve any type of performance. (Alcohol), but did not find it in breach.
Action
The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.
