Strongbow and Jägermeister withdraw social media ads after ASA rulings

Two major alcohol brands have removed social media advertisements after the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints that the ads implied alcohol was essential to social success and therefore breached advertising rules.

The ASA said two Jägermeister adverts gave the impression that alcohol was "a key component of social success" and described that portrayal as "irresponsible" and in breach of the broadcasting code. It also ruled that a Strongbow advert should be banned because it "implied that alcohol might be indispensable or take priority in life." The watchdog's judgements were published on Wednesday.

The complaint about the Strongbow post related to a sponsored Instagram sketch by comedian Al Nash promoting Strongbow Strawberry cider. The sketch parodied a scene from a Spider-Man film, the ASA said, with Nash's character shown wrestling with whether to skip a barbecue while writing wedding vows. A talking can of Strongbow appears and goads him until he "succumb[s] to the pressure to attend the barbecue," the ruling said.

While the ASA acknowledged that viewers would recognise the spot as a parody of the internal conflict between social activities and personal responsibilities, it concluded the advert "portrayed alcohol as being more important than personal relationships and a significant life event," and therefore implied "alcohol was indispensable and took priority in life."

Heineken UK Ltd, which owns Strongbow, agreed to remove the post and said the sketch was meant to entertain rather than make a literal claim about alcohol consumption. Al Nash said the talking can was intended as a parody and that he did not believe the ad suggested alcohol was essential or more important than personal commitments.

In a separate ruling, the ASA found two social media adverts for Jägermeister breached the code by portraying the brand as essential to a successful social event. One featured a pair of cupped hands holding a bottle of Jägermeister Manifest with the caption: "Manifesting the best nights of your life. Get your bottle of Jägermeister Manifest." The other showed a metal cloche being lifted to reveal a Jägermeister bottle on a silver platter with the caption: "Jägermeister, serving the best night of your life."

The ASA said the cloche advert "contributed to the impression [the bottle] was the defining factor of a successful social event" and therefore breached the advertising rules. Mast-Jägermeister UK Ltd responded that "Manifest" is a product name and that the use of the term "manifesting" was intrinsically linked to that branding. The company accepted the ASA's assessment and withdrew both adverts.

Both companies accepted the ASA judgements and removed the contested social media posts. The BBC has contacted Mast-Jägermeister and Heineken UK for further comment.

The rulings underline the regulator's scrutiny of alcohol marketing and its prohibition on adverts that suggest alcohol is a necessary element of social success or personal fulfillment. Advertisers operating in the UK must ensure promotions do not present drinking as integral to achieving social status or to the enjoyment of life events, the ASA's decisions make clear.