Background
Summary of Council decision:
Four issues were investigated, all were Upheld.
Ad description
A press ad for a festival, seen in TNT Magazine, stated "ALL INCLUSIVE FESTIVAL WITH BOOZE FOR £40 OKTOBERFEST BECAUSE DRUNK GIRLS ROOT MORE, AND DRUNK GUYS DON'T BLOW SO QUICKLY. Join Stoke at Oktoberfest this year because we include more than the other guys... increasing your saliva swapping, and flag collecting ... All washed down with OUR FAMOUS OPEN BAR of beer and sangria, for only 5€ extra a day, why the bloody hell wouldn't you want to party with us".
Issue
1. Four complainants objected that the claim "Because drunk girls root more, and drunk guys don't blow so quickly" was irresponsible and offensive.
2. Two complainants objected that the ad was irresponsible and offensive, because it presented women as sexual objects.
3. One complainant challenged whether the ad was irresponsible, because it linked sexual activity with alcohol consumption.
4. The ASA challenged whether the sales promotion was irresponsible, because it encouraged the excessive consumption of alcohol.
Response
Stoke Travel apologised that they had caused offence and provided their assurance that the ad would not be published again in future. They said they provided party, festival and surf experiences for young adults and advertised with TNT Magazine because their publications reached young adult travellers living or passing through the UK, who were their target audience. They believed that the ad appealed to their clientele and was an honest representation of what young people did on holiday.
TNT Magazine said their magazine was a fun magazine, targeted at fun-seeking travellers 18 to 35 years of age and that the ad was deemed suitable for this audience because it was amusing and had a tongue-in-cheek message. They believed the ad would not cause offence to their readers who were familiar with the style of the magazine. They said as soon as they were made aware of the complaints, they removed the ad from future publications.
Assessment
1. Upheld
The ASA welcomed the assurance from Stoke Travel and TNT Magazine that the ad would not appear again. We acknowledged that "root" and "blow" could be used as sexual slang and considered that readers would understand the claim "Because drunk girls root more, and drunk guys don't blow so quickly" to mean that being drunk resulted in more, easier to obtain or prolonged sex. We considered this message was communicated in a direct and casual manner that implied that alcohol could enhance sexual activity and, in that context, was irresponsible and likely to cause serious or widespread offence to readers of the magazine. We therefore concluded that the claim breached the Code.
On this point the ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules
1.3
1.3
Marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.
(Social responsibility),
4.1
4.1
Marketing communications must not contain anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. Compliance will be judged on the context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards.
Marketing communications may be distasteful without necessarily breaching this rule. Marketers are urged to consider public sensitivities before using potentially offensive material.
The fact that a product is offensive to some people is not grounds for finding a marketing communication in breach of the Code.
(Harm and offence) and
18.5
18.5
Marketing communications must neither link alcohol with seduction, sexual activity or sexual success nor imply that alcohol can enhance attractiveness.
(Alcohol).
2. Upheld
We considered readers were likely to interpret the claim "... drunk girls root more" to mean that drunk girls had more sex, or were easier to engage in sexual activity. We considered this message was communicated in a direct and casual manner that was likely to be interpreted as condoning or encouraging excessive drinking for the purpose of having sex and, in the context of presenting women as sexual objects, was irresponsible and likely to cause serious or widespread offence to readers of the magazine. We therefore concluded that the claim breached the Code.
On this point the ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules
1.3
1.3
Marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.
(Social responsibility)
4.1
4.1
Marketing communications must not contain anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. Compliance will be judged on the context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards.
Marketing communications may be distasteful without necessarily breaching this rule. Marketers are urged to consider public sensitivities before using potentially offensive material.
The fact that a product is offensive to some people is not grounds for finding a marketing communication in breach of the Code.
(Harm and offence).
3. Upheld
The ad stated "ALL INCLUSIVE FESTIVAL WITH BOOZE FOR £40 ... BECAUSE DRUNK GIRLS ROOT MORE, AND DRUNK GUYS DON'T BLOW SO QUICKLY ... increasing your saliva swapping ... All washed down with OUR FAMOUS OPEN BAR of beer and sangria, for only 5€ extra a day ...". Because the ad linked sexual activity with alcohol consumption it was irresponsible and therefore breached the Code.
On this point the ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 1.3 1.3 Marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society. (Social responsibility) and 18.5 18.5 Marketing communications must neither link alcohol with seduction, sexual activity or sexual success nor imply that alcohol can enhance attractiveness. (Alcohol).
4. Upheld
The ad stated "ALL INCLUSIVE FESTIVAL WITH BOOZE FOR £40" and "All washed down with OUR FAMOUS OPEN BAR of beer and sangria, for only 5€ extra a day ...". We considered these claims encouraged the excessive consumption of alcohol and, because the ad included the sales promotion, concluded that it was irresponsible and breached the Code.
On this point the ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 1.3 1.3 Marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society. (Social responsibility) and 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. and 18.10 18.10 Marketing communications that include a promotion must not imply, condone or encourage excessive consumption of alcohol. (Alcohol).
Action
The ad must not appear again in its current form.
