"We will not utilize any image, symbol, music, cartoon character or person that appeals primarily to those under the legal purchase age." [Images and music used in the "St. Patrick's Day" campaign evoke Christmas themes that are famillar to children.]
"People shown drinking in advertisements for our brands must be, and must look as if they are, 25 years of age or older." [You say the models in "Be Careful" are actually 27. But, if they don't look it, who cares?]
"...depict only moderate and responsible drinking. We will not appear to condone or encourage excessive or irresponsible drinking, or refer in any favorable manner to the effects of intoxication." [Drinking large amounts of Guinness in the morning, or so much Goldschlager you need protective gear, is not 'moderate or responsible.']
Copies of this citation will be sent to:
Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission
*Based on underage readership figures for Maxim and Blender magaiznes
Background
Diageo, makers of Goldschlager, wrote to us in January 2004 to say the company had decided to withdraw its "Be Careful" ad back in October 2003 following complaints that the models appear underage and their protective gear suggests preparation for binge drinking. Despite this, we still saw the ads in November and December issues of Stuff , Blender and Maxim.
It turns out that Diageo's decision came too late to pull the campaign from several November and December publications. That didn't stop the company from claiming that their decision to withdraw the ads demonstrated their "strong commitment to following the reasonable and careful processes developed by Diageo and our industry to assure that we market our products responsibly and with sensitivity to criticism from those who view our ads."
We think Diageo is guilty of Hit-and-Run Advertising: they approve promotional campaigns that violate their own advertising code, pull the ads after complaints, then cite the decision as proof of their responsibility.
Now it looks like Diageo is at it again. In an effort to make St. Patrick's Day more than just a one-day celebration, the company's Guinness brand has launched a multi-million dollar campaign with the tag line, "Treat St. Patrick's Day like a real holiday." In one 30-second TV commercial (watch: Broadband - 250kbs* or Dial-up - 56kbs*) , three young men wake up on St. Patrick's Day morning and race downstairs in their pajamas to gaze wide-eyed at a pile of wrapped packages under a keg of Guinness draped with garlands. The young men excitedly rip the paper off six-packs and cases of Guinness as the camera pulls back to show them kneeling in front of the keg.
The ad unambiguously envokes a child's delight on Christmas morning. But in place of toys and games, the young men are depicted on their knees before an enormous quantity of beer.
Our original citation for the "Be Careful" campaign listed violations of Diageo's own marketing code that say models must look at least 25 years age and not appear to condone or encourage excessive or irresponsible drinking. The Guinness St. Patrick's Day campaign also appears to condone irresponsible drinking, in this case large quantities of beer in the morning. It also defies still another provision that says Diageo ads will not use any image or symbol that appeals to underage youth. One can hardly imagine an image with more appeal to youth than the excitement of Christmas morning. We've added this additional "count" for irresponsible advertising to our citation and we invite you to send it to Diageo to register your objections.
P.S: Diageo is also responsible for a Smirnoff Vodka ad using a character resembling Stuart Little . Diageo claimed to pull that ad too-when consumers complained the cute little mouse has strong appeal to children-but not before it reached a national audience as a print ad.
Diageo's goal of the Guinness campaign was to "extend this celebratory period to an entire holiday season, such as with Halloween or Valentine's Day," said Chris Parson, Guinness brand director.
