Ad description
A poster for Jack Daniel’s, seen on the London Underground on 16 November 2023. The ad featured a group of friends sat around a table, two of whom were pouring Jack Daniel’s and a mixer into one glass, whilst others were seen holding glasses of Jack Daniel’s. Large text stated “Shorter days mean we can skip to the good part.” Text at the bottom of the poster stated “Jack Daniel’s: Make it count.” and further text underneath that stated “Remember the good parts. Please drink responsibly”.
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the ad was irresponsible and breached the Code because it promoted adopting drinking styles that were unwise, implied that alcohol might take priority in life, and implied that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom by encouraging people to start drinking earlier in the day.
Response
Brown-Forman Beverages Europe Ltd t/a Jack Daniel's said the ad formed part of a campaign which sought to depict groups of people in different scenarios, making the most out of everyday life.
They highlighted the fact that the ad portrayed a social occasion amongst friends and that the alcoholic drinks featured in the ad were not excessive in number or size. As such, they did not believe the ad suggested the individuals were engaging in drinking styles that were irresponsible or excessive.
Jack Daniel's said the text “Shorter days mean we can skip to the good part” was a reference to spending time with friends, as demonstrated by the ad. They also said that, as daylight hours decreased, there was a feeling that it became the evening earlier on in the day. In turn, they believed that an individual’s working day was over sooner, which allowed more time to socialise with friends.
They explained the text “Remember the good parts. Please drink responsibly” was intended to inform consumers about the importance of responsible drinking, and that because overconsumption could lead to memory loss, they should not overconsume the product.
Global said they had not received any complaints about the ad. They confirmed that the ad had been removed from the London Underground network.
Assessment
Upheld
The CAP Code stated that marketing communications for alcohol must be socially responsible and must not contain anything that was likely to lead people to adopt styles of drinking that were unwise. It also required marketing communications not to imply that alcohol might take priority in life or that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom.
The ad depicted a group of people sitting around a table socialising and featured several alcoholic drinks. The ASA considered the focus of the ad was on the alcohol present with the centre of the image being two individuals who were pouring Jack Daniel’s and mixer into a glass. We considered that was further emphasised by other individuals who were seen holding glasses of Jack Daniel’s, including a large image of a hand holding a glass in the foreground, and a large image of a bottle of Jack Daniel’s at the bottom of the ad.
The ad stated “shorter days mean we can skip to the good part”, and we considered that “shorter days” referred to the end of British Summer Time and a return to Greenwich Mean Time, which means there were fewer hours of daylight and sunset was earlier in the day. We also considered that consumers were likely to understand “the good part” to refer to drinking alcohol, and in particular Jack Daniel’s. By suggesting that “shorter days” meant consumers could “skip to the good part” of the day - in other words, the evening when it was socially acceptable for consumers to drink alcohol - the ad implied that the rest of the day was mundane and a period of time to be endured. We considered “the good part” was likely to be seen as a part of the day to be given a higher priority, and that drinking alcohol could overcome the boredom of the rest of the day. Furthermore, because the ad encouraged people to start drinking earlier than they would at other times of the year, we considered that it encouraged people to consume more alcohol than they usually would.
We acknowledged that the ad stated “Remember the good parts. Please drink responsibly”. However, we considered the further reference to “good parts” reinforced the impression that drinking alcohol was the most enjoyable part of the day and that it therefore took priority in life. We also considered the drink responsibly message did not change the impression of the ad.
Because the ad implied that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom and encouraged people to start drinking earlier than usual, we considered the ad implied that alcohol might take priority in life and that it promoted adopted drinking styles which were unwise. As such, we concluded the ad was irresponsible and therefore breached the Code.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 18.1 and 18.6 (Alcohol).
Action
The ad must not appear again in the form complained of. We told Brown-Forman Beverages Europe Ltd t/a Jack Daniel's to ensure that their ads did not lead people to adopt styles of drinking that were unwise. We also told them to not imply that alcohol could take priority in life or imply that alcohol could overcome boredom.
