Drink firms fall foul of advertising standards

ALCOHOL advertisements are the main focus of the latest report of the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI), with Guinness, Smirnoff and an Evening Herald competition for students falling foul of public complaints.

However, the ASAI accepted that a campaign for An Post's Special Distribution Services which used the slogan "Galway man had 24 bottles of whiskey overnight" was acceptable use of alcohol-related humour.

The authority upheld a complaint against the Evening Herald over a "back to college" promotion for Corky's Alcoholic Fruit Drink. Student participants were required to submit a limerick along with tokens from the newspaper and a label from a Corky's bottle. The prize was £10,000, payable in eight instalments.

Complainants said it was irresponsible to offer financial inducements encouraging young people to drink. In response to queries from the ASAI, the Evening Herald said the prize fund was structured to be of maximum benefit in the winning student's education, being paid in monthly instalments rather than a lump sum.

However, the authority found that the promotion was not in keeping with the spirit of the Code of Advertising Standards.

A Smirnoff poster advertisement showing a statue of Christ balancing a football on the back of his neck also attracted criticism. Smirnoff said the poster of the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro - was a witty reference to Brazil's obsession with football, but the ASAI upheld public objections and the company withdrew the advertisement.

The authority rejected complaints about a Guinness poster, part of its current "big pint" campaign, which used the slogan "pumped up". Objectors said the phrase was an unacceptable reference to the intoxicant properties of the drink. However, Guinness apologised for any offence and withdrew the posters.

Among other advertisements which offended the public was one for a Dublin clothes shop which used a famous photograph of an execution during the Vietnam war. In the amended photograph, the executioner is holding a hairdryer pointed at a man's head, instead of a gun. The authority agreed with complaints that it was "in poor taste".

A series of bus stop shelter advertisements for roller-blades was withdrawn as a result of complaints. The advertisement featured an image of a foetus wearing roller blades, accompanied by the slogan "Born to Blade".