Watchdog bans misleading BrewDog Instagram ad

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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a BrewDog Instagram ad for its Clean & Press Hard Seltzer for misleading health claims.

The post from January for the brand’s Clean & Press Hard Seltzer read, ‘Due to advertising regulations we cannot claim this drink is healthy’, and continued, ‘Even though Clean & Press is only 90 calories per can, with no carbs or sugar and a little bit of alcohol, this is not a health drink. If you are looking for a health drink, do not drink Clean & Press.’

The advertising watchdog received five complaints that the ad implied that the drink was healthy and used general health claims that were not permitted for alcoholic drinks.

The ASA also challenged whether the ad used nutrition claims that were not allowed for alcoholic drinks and whether the phrase ‘a little bit of alcohol’ implied that the drink was low alcohol, despite the product having an alcoholic strength by volume (ABV) of 5%.

BrewDog said the ad was supposed to be ‘tongue-in-cheek’,  but accepted that they had breached the rules,  agreeing not to use it again.

The ASA said ‘only 90 calories per can’ and ‘no carbs or sugar’ were nutrition claims that were not permitted for alcoholic drinks, as was the implication that the product was beneficial to overall good health or health-related wellbeing.

The regulator added that consumers would understand the claim ‘a little bit of alcohol’ to mean that the product was low alcohol, finding that the ad breached the code in this way too.

A BrewDog spokesman said, ‘We have accepted the ASA ruling and have removed the wording in question.’

BrewDog was also reported to the ASA last week for claiming a competition prize was solid gold and worth £15,000. Several winners of the gold beer can prize contested Brewdog’s claim about its value when they discovered it was merely gold plated.

Brewdog has stood by the valuation while the Advertising Standards Authority continues to look into whether the competition breached any of its rules.

Category: News
Tags: advertising standards authority, Brewdog, Clean & Press Hard Seltzer, health claims