Background
Summary of Council decision:
Two issues were investigated, both of which were Not upheld.
Ad description
A TV ad for Tanqueray gin, seen on 18 May 2023. The ad opened on a bottle of Tanqueray gin and then cut to a scene which featured a woman putting on jewellery whilst sat in front of a mirror. The voiceover said “Why must the everyday, be so everyday?”
The ad then cut to different scenes featuring people holding glasses of Tanqueray gin in different scenarios, including at a beach, a house, and a roof terrace on a block of flats. The voiceover said “When you could squeeze the afternoon, and add a dash of fabulous. Let’s live magnificently. Tanqueray.”
The last scene featured on-screen text that stated, “Let’s live magnificently”, which then cut and the word “Tanqueray” appeared. In the background, a group of people sat round a table on a roof holding Tanqueray glasses.
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the ad was irresponsible because:
1. it implied the success of a social occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol; and
2. it portrayed alcohol as capable of changing mood.
Response
1. & 2. Diageo Great Britain Ltd t/a Diageo said the phrase “Let’s Live Magnificently” described the behaviour of the characters in the ad, rather than for the Tanqueray brand itself. They said due to the current cost of living crisis, their consumer research had found people wanted to make social events and time with friends feel special, without spending too much money. Diageo said in part this was achieved by dressing up and wearing makeup and jewellery, even if they were not going out. As such, they said each scene focused on the characters and why they were magnificent, rather than focusing on the brand.
They said the ad depicted five scenes and that the first scene showed a woman putting on jewellery and makeup and that she was seen smiling in this scene, and so it depicted her as being in a good mood. They said no alcohol was shown in the scene and that when the voice-over stated, “Why must the everyday, be so everyday?” it did not imply that the social event the person was going to depended on, or resulted from, the presence or consumption of alcohol, but rather from the time she took to get ready.
Diageo said the second scene depicted two women at a British seaside and that it showed them enjoying the social interaction without alcohol being present. They said the scene then showed a cool box being opened which contained an unopened bottle of Tanqueray, two glasses and some oranges. They said this scene showed the two women enjoying each other’s company and when they were seen enjoying their drinks, the bottle had disappeared from the scene, avoiding any implication they were going to drink more or for a long time.
They said the third scene depicted a house party and focused on a flamboyantly dressed man and that the voice-over, which stated, “Add a dash of fabulous” echoed this, along with the word “fabulous” appearing on-screen. They said the party was depicted as being in full-swing before the man picked up a bottle of Tanqueray and before he did so, it did not depict anyone drinking alcohol. They said that showed the success of the party did not result from or depend upon the presence or consumption of alcohol and that the scene showed the bottle was unopened. They said no one was seen drinking from the Tanqueray glasses in the ad.
Diageo said the next scene featured the woman wearing the green dress from the first scene sitting down on a sofa next to people. They said the woman was seen smiling before she sat down and was handed a drink, and that two of the people in the scene were not holding drinks, and nor did they appear to be drinking at all. They said the two people holding glasses of Tanqueray were not depicted drinking, and that both glasses appeared to be full. Diageo said that depicted the people as being in a good mood before the consumption or presence of alcohol and showed people having an enjoyable time in a domestic setting.
They said the last scene depicted a group of friends sat around a table on the roof of a modest block of flats, and that the scene showed two full glasses of Tanqueray on the table. They said as the camera pulled away it showed seven friends sat calmly at the table and that there was nothing to suggest the success of the occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol. Diageo said the success of the occasion was in fact linked to the care taken to transform the modest setting by setting the table in a beautiful way.
They also said the ad did not portray the social events as being transformed by the presence of alcohol since all the people were seen enjoying the social interactions and having a good time before any alcohol was consumed.
Diageo concluded by saying the phrases “Add a dash of fabulous” and “Let’s Live Magnificently” did not imply alcohol could be used to make things more exciting, but rather they were about being able to enjoy a social life without spending a fortune, including with people who were not drinking. They reiterated the ad depicted people making their lives less ordinary by getting dressed up, decorating a dinner table or turning an evening at home with friends into a special occasion, and not by consuming alcohol.
Clearcast said ads should not depict alcohol as being the cause of a social occasion, but rather an optional part of it and should not portray alcohol as enhancing or improving personal qualities of an individual.
They said the ad depicted people who were enjoying life and making day to day situations more interesting by adding additional elements, such as dressing up. They said it was common for alcohol to be at a social occasion and its presence in an ad was not problematic in and of itself. Whilst the ad opened with a shot of the product, they said there was no suggestion that the social occasions occurred because of the presence or consumption of alcohol and that they began before alcohol was introduced. They also said the social occasions could also have occurred without alcohol being served and therefore the alcohol was part of the scenes, and not the focus of them.
Clearcast also said the ad did not depict excessive consumption or that the occasions could not begin without alcohol being present or that the characters used alcohol as the reason for the occasion. Lastly, they said the mood and atmosphere in the ad was not depicted as being enhanced or transformed by the presence of alcohol.
Assessment
1. & 2. Not upheld
The BCAP Code stated that marketing communications for alcohol must not imply that the success of a social occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol. It also required marketing communications not to portray alcohol as being capable of changing mood.
The ad depicted different people in different social settings, including on a beach, at a house, on the roof terrace of a block of flats and also depicted a woman putting on jewellery in front of a mirror. Whilst the lines “Add a dash of fabulous” and “… squeeze the afternoon” suggested alcohol was being introduced to the social events, all those who were depicted in groups were socialising and smiling before alcohol was introduced into the scene. The ASA considered those lines in the ad did not imply that the success of the various social events depended on the presence of alcohol, and nor did they portray alcohol as capable of changing mood. Similarly, we considered the line “Let’s Live Magnificently” did not imply the social events depicted in the ad were successful or ‘magnificent’ because of the presence or consumption of alcohol. There was no indication that the mood of those present had been changed by the presence of alcohol, nor that the introduction of alcohol was what allowed them to “live magnificently” where they had not done so previously.
We therefore considered that the ad did not depict actions that showed the effect of alcohol changing the mood of the people or implied that the success of a social occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol, and concluded the ad did not breach the Code.
We investigated the ad under BCAP Code rules 19.4 and 19.8 (Alcohol), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
