Strongbow ad banned for suggesting that alcohol is more important than relationships
The ad was based around the idea of a spoof awards ceremony in which the winner, Carl, gave a speech after accepting an award called “best Strongbow as my other half"
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An advert for Strongbow has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency for suggesting that alcohol is more important than relationships.
Heineken, which owns Strongbow, posted the ad on its YouTube channel. It was based around the idea of a spoof awards ceremony in which the winner, Carl, gave a speech after accepting an award called “best Strongbow as my other half”.
A message read out on Carl's behalf said: "I dedicate this award to my family, to all the lovely creatures out there, and to my other half. I love you. I've loved you since the first day I met ya. And I always will do. My dear Strongbow."
But the ad drew fire from organisations such as The Youth Alcohol Advertising Council (YAAC) and Alcohol Concern for showing alcohol as indispensable.
Heineken rejected the complaints. It said that the ad was a parody of awards ceremonies, and that it could not be reasonably inferred from watching it that alcohol consumption should take priority in life or be indispensable.
Though there were no further complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed that the ad implied that Strongbow was as important to Carl as a significant romantic relationship with another person.
The ASA concluded that the ad breached standards and welcomed Heineken's confirmation that it had already been removed.
"Not only is it appalling that a company such as Heineken UK, with a marketing budget of millions, is failing to comply with the advertising codes, but it's left to young people to spot these adverts and highlight these failings,” Tom Smith, Alcohol Concern's head of policy, said.
"These big companies clearly can't be trusted, so to better protect children and tackle patterns of alcohol harm we need urgent reform of the alcohol advertising regime."
MP Fiona Bruce, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm, said there was a trend for increasingly young people becoming aware of the impact of drinking too much. “Many are deciding not to drink at all in their teenage years. We know that the later you start drinking, the fewer problems are likely to occur. We need to give them as much support as possible,” Ms Bruce said.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments