Heineken UK has agreed to remove an advertisement of Strongbow from social media ads after the advertising watchdog ruled against the way the brands presented their alcoholic drinks.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the Strongbow ad should be banned on the grounds that it “implied that alcohol might be indispensable or take priority in life”.
The CAP Code stated that marketing communications must not imply that alcohol might be indispensable or take priority in life.
The ad showed a talking Strongbow Strawberry Cider can trying to persuade a man to stop preparing his wedding vows and instead attend a barbecue where he would drink alcohol.
The ASA acknowledged that viewers would understand the ad to be a fictional, comedic sketch however raised objections to scenes where the can repeatedly undermined the man’s intentions, and pressurised him to attend the barbecue and drink alcohol with comments such as “hiding in the shadows when we could be out at that barbecue together”.
ASA stated that the ad portrayed alcohol as being more important than personal relationships and a significant life event, and therefore implied that alcohol was indispensable and took priority in life.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 18.6 (Alcohol).
Heineken UK Ltd t/a Strongbow said they would remove the post. They explained the ad was intended to entertain rather than to make a literal claim about alcohol consumption and that the alcoholic content of the drink was not mentioned in the ad.
It also stressed that the ad celebrated friendship and shared moments, and that alcohol was not shown as essential, indispensable, or a means to escape problems. The cider was shown as part of a social setting, not as relieving anxiety, providing comfort or a solution to personal problems.