A Instagram reel from liquor retail chain BWS, owned by Endeavour Group, has been removed for promoting excessive consumption of an alcohol.
The business' second ABAC ping this year for breaching the Code's section 3(a)(i) which states "a marketing communication must not show (visibly, audibly or by direct implication) or encourage the excessive or rapid consumption of an Alcohol Beverage, misuse or abuse of alcohol or consumption inconsistent with the Australian Alcohol Guidelines".
The video shows a BWS staff moving quickly around a bottle shop selecting a number of different alcoholic products. The in-video text reads “Challenging our marketing specialist to pick out all her drinks for tonight in 1 minute" and the caption reads “Drinks for tonight’s gatho – sorted".
Screenshot from ABAC of the Instagram reel.
The complaint submitted to Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) said:
"A reasonable person is to believe that this would imply the woman would be consuming all of the drinks she picks that same night. The woman proceeds to pick a number of drinks that would be inconsistent with the number of standard drinks one person should consume in a day as per the Australian Alcohol Guidelines.
"This is further supported by a comment on the video which states 'Jeez, big night'."
Comments on the post.
When made aware of the complaint the ad was removed by BWS.
However BWS refuted the claims that the advertisement breached any part of the Code and it requested the panel to dismiss the complaint.
But BWS also did not seek alcohol advertising pre-vetting service approval.
As a result the panel found the video to breach the Code's section 3(a)(i).
The panel said: "While it is accepted that the Company did not intend to encourage excessive consumption, the panel thinks the most probable take out from the post is that a single person is purchasing multiple alcohol products for consumption by a single person in a single evening."
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