Diageo rapped over Captain Morgan ad

An “irresponsible” advert posted on Diageo’s Captain Morgan Facebook page has been banned by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) – the brand’s second ban this year.

The online advert pictured Captain Morgan raising a toast with crew mates underscored by the tagline “Wednesday, I’m declaring war on mid-week boredom.”

The Youth Alcohol Advertising Council filed a complaint with the ASA branding it “irresponsible” claiming it implied alcohol “could overcome boredom and was capable of changing mood.”

Diageo argued that the advert was intended to “call consumers to take a break from their normal weekday routine” and to spend time with friends mid-week, rather than wait for the weekend, and was not a call to drink.

It also said the ad had been accompanied by two responsible drinking posts.

However the ASA upheld the complaint agreeing with the complainant that most viewing the advert would interpret it to mean the Captain was alleviating his boredom by drinking Captain Morgan with friends.

In banning the advert the ASA said: “The ad, although not expressly encouraging excessive drinking, implied that the Captain had sought alcohol to improve his mood. Because of that, we concluded that the ad implied that alcohol could overcome boredom and was capable of changing mood, and was therefore in breach of the Code.”

It is the second time in recent months that Diageo’s Captain Morgan has been hit with an advertising ban.

In February an advert deemed to be “aggressive” was similarly banned by the ASA.