Ad description
A tweet on the @CLWBIFORBACH Twitter feed stated "Helo @yrawrgymraeg! Dewch i fynd yn hammered yn y Gymraeg. Ma' bob aelod o staff bar ni'n siarad Cymraeg!”, which in English, translated to “Come and be hammered in Welsh. All our bar staff speak Welsh!”.
Issue
The complainant objected that the tweet was irresponsible because it encouraged excessive drinking.
Investigated under CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 18.1 (Alcohol).
Response
Clwb Ifor Bach explained that @yrawrgymraeg was a weekly feature on their Twitter page during which people were encouraged to promote events in the Welsh language. Clwb Ifor Bach stated that the tweet was intended to inform people that they provided a Welsh language service as opposed to implicitly encourage people to visit their bar and get ‘hammered’. Nevertheless, Clwb Ifor Bach agreed that the wording of the tweet could have been misinterpreted and that in future, they would take precaution on how they advertised their service.
Assessment
Upheld
The ASA understood that Clwb Ifor Bach made reference to ‘hammered’ in the context of a weekly promotion featured on their Twitter page, during which people were encouraged to use the Welsh language. However, we considered that the text “Come and be hammered in Welsh. All our bar staff speak Welsh” would be interpreted as inviting people to drink excessively at their bar and we therefore concluded that the tweet was irresponsible.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 18.1 18.1 Marketing communications must be socially responsible and must contain nothing that is likely to lead people to adopt styles of drinking that are unwise. For example, they should not encourage excessive drinking. Care should be taken not to exploit the young, the immature or those who are mentally or socially vulnerable. (Alcohol).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Clwb Ifor Bach that their future advertising must not encourage excessive drinking.
