Diageo fights Smirnoff vodka ad ban

Diageo’s Smirnoff vodka is fighting a decision to ban an advert which that Advertising Standards Authority deemed to inappropriately imply that a successful night out depended on alcohol.

The TV ad depicted a “pretentious bar scene with “unfriendly” people dressed in “restrictive, extravagant clothing with sculpted hair styles that suggested an air of superficiality and a lack of comfort”.

As a bartender poured vodka and a mixer into glass the atmosphere softens and music starts to play with people then smiling at each other. On-screen text stated: “Filter the unnecessary. Keep the good stuff.”

The ASA challenged Diageo claiming that the ad implied success of a social occasion was dependent on alcohol, representing a breach of its code.

In banning the advert, the ASA said: “We considered the ad’s presentation implied that before the visitor asked for an alcoholic drink, the bar was cold and uninviting and that once his drink had been ordered, the bar changed and became livelier and more fun. We considered the contrast between the two implied it was the presence of the alcohol that was the pivotal point in the bar’s transformation. We therefore considered the ad implied that the success of the occasion − the night out at the bar − depended on the presence of alcohol. Consequently, we concluded the ad breached the Code.”

Julie Bramham, marketing director for Smirnoff, said the company was “deeply disappointed” by the ASA’s conclusion and would be appealing its decision.

“We believe the advert clearly showed two scenarios that were separated by a physical change of the bar symbolising the “filtering” of unnecessary pretentiousness, and not by the presence of alcohol.

“Pre-approval was granted by Clearcast and we will await the decision of the ASA’s appeal process.”