BrewDog’s ‘tongue in cheek’ post found to be in violation of advertising code

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against BrewDog, ruling that a paid-for post on Instagram by the company has violated provisions in the Committee of Advertising Practice Code.

The social media ad posted on 21 January 2021 for it hard seltzer brand Clean & Press made nutrition claims and general health claims that were not permitted for alcoholic drinks, the watchdog found. In addition, the ASA said the “a little bit of alcohol” reference in the ad implied that the drink was low alcohol, which was also not a permitted claim for the 5% ABV drink.

In its response to the authority, Brewdog accepted that they breached the Code and agreed that they would not be used in future campaigns, while noting that the claims in the ad were intended to be ‘tongue in cheek’.

The post included an image of a can of Clean & Press Hard Seltzer and the text “DUE TO ADVERTISING REGULATIONS WE CANNOT CLAIM THIS DRINK IS HEALTHY”. Text below the image stated “Even though Clean & Press is only 90 calories per can, with no carbs or sugar and a little bit of alcohol, this is not a health drink. If you are looking for a health drink, do not drink Clean & Press.”

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again in its current form.

“We told Brewdog plc not to make health claims, or non-permitted nutrition claims about alcoholic drinks. We also told them not to make permitted nutrition claims for alcoholic drinks if the product did not meet the associated conditions of use for the claim,” the authority said in its ruling.