The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a Four Loko Instagram advertisement after ruling it encouraged irresponsible drinking behaviour.
The ruling, published yesterday, concerned a February Instagram post from the American alcoholic beverage brand featuring an image of a man tipping his head back and pouring a can of Four Loko into his open mouth from height, accompanied by the caption “SEND IT” and three rocket emojis.
A single complainant challenged the advertisement, arguing it encouraged drinking alcohol unwisely. The ASA agreed, finding the combination of imagery and text promoted a style of drinking that would make it difficult to control alcohol consumption speed and quantity.
Phusion Projects LLC, trading as Four Loko, defended the advertisement by highlighting their compliance with Portman Group guidance on single-serve containers. The company argued their product contained under four units of alcohol and suggested the background and caption merely reflected their brand's association with live music events.
However, the ASA dismissed these arguments, noting that Four Loko's 8.4% ABV strength made the pouring technique particularly problematic. The regulator determined that drinking from height would allow “a large amount of alcohol to be consumed quickly, and in an uncontrolled and irresponsible manner.”
The ASA also found that the “SEND IT” caption, combined with rocket emojis, reinforced the impression that the beverage should be consumed rapidly, further compounding the irresponsible messaging.
Four Loko has since removed the offending post and committed to avoiding similar imagery in future campaigns. The company acknowledged potential ambiguity in combining the image with their chosen caption.
The matter has been referred to the Committee of Advertising Practice's Compliance team for monitoring, suggesting the ASA will maintain close oversight of Four Loko's future marketing activities.
