Advertisment
The Facebook post stated
One for the girls! This Friday we are bringing back our popular free pour wine night! You pay €10 and we will fill your glass for the night! Starts at 8pm!
Complaint
The complainant said the hotel offered free alcohol and promoted excessive drinking. He also said that there was no reference to the drink aware logo or an age restriction.
Response
The advertisers apologised and stated that they did not think there was anything wrong with their Facebook post. They said they were not offering free alcohol but were charging €10 for free wine pour which they said they have seen in numerous venues throughout the country. They said they have strict House Rules (1) which are located at their front door and their staff are trained to ensure that they are implemented. The advertisers stated that they attended a Drink Aware talk recently. They said that they were unaware until recently that it was necessary to include a responsibility message in their advertising.
Footnotes:
(1) The House Rules included “no alcohol served to those under 18 years.”
Conclusion
Complaint Upheld.
The Complaints Committee noted the details of the complaint and the advertisers’ response. The Committee considered that in the absence of any reference to maximum servings, the offer of “free win pour night” encouraged excessive drinking. In the circumstances, the marketing communication was in breach of Section 9.1 of the Code. The Committee noted that the Code did not specify what form a ‘responsibility drinking’ message should be, just that marketing communications for alcohol should include a responsibility drinking message. As the marketing communication had not in this case included such a message it was in breach of Section 9.4 of the Code.
ACTION REQUIRED: The advertisement must not reappear in its current form.
