Adverts in the UK must comply with rigorous standards set by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), but on occasion one will slip through the net before receiving a retroactive ban.
That was the case for a recent BrewDog ad: a poster that has been banned for implying that alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or disappointment.
The ad for the brewing firm’s Wingman beer, seen in May, featured the headline: “Brewdog. Always Got Your Back”, and continued underneath: “Some things in life go AWOL – wifi fails, the weather turns hostile, and your buddy’s ‘five minutes’ turns into a full-scale delay. But Wingman? Wingman stands firm. Always on station, always mission-ready, always got your back. Because every great operation deserves a great Wingman.”
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The ASA received one complaint that the ad implied that alcohol was a remedy for disappointment, suffering and isolation.
BrewDog said the ad did not imply that the beer provided comfort, relief or escape from any form of distress, and positioned the product as being of reliable quality rather than a remedy or coping mechanism.
It also did not believe the ad claimed or implied that the beer had any therapeutic or mood-altering effects or that the ad suggested alcohol was essential or a priority in life.
The ASA acknowledged that the ad had an air force theme, including the product’s name, references to “always on station, always mission-ready”, and some of the imagery, which included a bird wearing a flying jacket, helmet and goggles.
The watchdog noted BrewDog’s comments that the ad positioned Wingman Session IPA as being of reliable quality, and acknowledged that the scenarios presented in the ad – wifi outages, unexpected bad weather and a friend running late – were mundane and everyday annoyances.
It said: “However, we considered that those scenarios, which would likely result in a person having to wait for an outcome outside of their control and having their day interrupted in a negative way, were likely to result in people feeling frustrated and bored, potentially lonely and would be likely to be viewed as problematic.
“We considered that although the ad used metaphorical language to evoke Wingman’s reliability, consistency and a sense of camaraderie, the scenarios presented were real-life problems that were likely to impact people in a negative way and the implication was that Wingman was a solution to overcoming those problems that were likely to result in boredom, frustration and potentially loneliness.
“For those reasons, we considered the ad implied that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems and concluded it breached the code.”
The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told BrewDog to ensure their future ads did not imply that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems.”
A spokesman for BrewDog said: “We acknowledge the ASA’s ruling on our recent Wingman advert and we are disappointed with the outcome, which we believe does not reflect the spirit or intent behind the campaign.
“That said, we won’t be running the ad again.”
Rachael Davis