Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Marketers must avoid linking, explicitly or otherwise, alcohol and violence, as per rules 18.4 (alcohol and aggression), and potentially rule 18.7 (showing or implying alcohol as being capable of changing mood/behaviour). As well as breaking the Alcohol rules, it is likely that such marketing communications also break the more general Code rules, such as 1.3 and 4.4.
Historically, there have been very few rulings in this area, as marketers are often aware of the potential pitfalls of linking alcohol with violence, both in terms of the Code and in terms of their brand image. In 2002, the ASA received a complaint about posters that showed a man’s naked shoulder and upper back. On his shoulder were what seemed to be four red scratches that formed the shape of a square. The ASA considered that most people would infer that the scratches were a result of violence and that it was irresponsible to link an alcoholic product with violence (Halewood International Ltd, 22 May 2002).
However, much more recently, in 2023, the ASA investigated Instagram posts by AU Vodka, in which they used characters that imitated the Mafia. The posts mirrored the film The Godfather, and featured characters such as The Vodfather (“The Vodfather had spoken. And when The Vodfather speaks, people stand to attention because they know, if they [bleep] up, tomorrow becomes a thing they might never get to see”), The Enforcers (“That’s Jamie and Geoff. These two are proper [bleep] old school... Even their nightmares are scared of these two”) and The Distributor (“The Distributor, [bleep] me. This is a man who scares his own [bleep] shadow”). The ads included scenes of people being intimidated and assaulted and spoken to in an aggressive manner, which the ASA felt breached the alcohol rules. The ads were also upheld the ads for linking alcohol to illicit drugs (AU Vodka Ltd, 23 August 2023).
Marketers are also reminded that any ad that features alcohol is subject to the alcohol rules – as such, any ads that feature violence, anti-social behaviour, weaponry or aggression could fall foul of the rules even if the intention is not to sell an alcoholic product.
See also Alcohol: General; Social Responsibility; Sexual and Domestic Violence; Violence: Condoning or Encouraging and Alcohol: Use of Celebrities.