Diageo, the maker of Smirnoff vodka, pulled the mouse ad (above left) from publications in response to a complaint made to the spirits industry’s trade group.

 When we first posted the images above, we noted that the mouse in the Smirnoff ad bears a remarkable resemblance to Stuart Little (above right), the popular animated mouse starring in children’s movies. The ad appeared in Sports Illustrated, a magazine read by more than 7,000,000 youth under the legal drinking age.

Apparently, Diageo noticed. They quickly wrote a letter to the Marin Institute (.pdf), claiming that the ad “...Was intended…for adults….” But they had already decided to pull the advertisement, “Once it became clear…that the ad could…appeal to those below the legal purchase age.”

We are pleased that Diageo pulled the mouse ad—but why did it come out in the first place? Diageo’s own Marketing Code and that of the spirits industry expressly forbid using a cartoon character that is popular predominantly with children. We believe the mouse ad also violates the spirits industry’s Code of Good Practice in two other ways: illustrating an illegal act (theft), and portraying an activity that requires a high degree of alertness or physical coordination.

Public outcry forced other child-friendly characters like Joe Camel out of work, and even cut short the run of the “Bud-weis-er” frogs. It’s nice to know Diageo stopped using a cartoon character to peddle its wares this time. It would be even better if the company reviewed their codes of conduct and maintained a strict policy of avoiding ads which reach youth in the future.