"Irresponsible" Diageo Captain Morgan ad banned

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 31 August, 2016

Drinks giant Diageo has got itself into hot water over its May Captain Morgan TV ad for implying that drinking the rum could increase confidence and popularity.

Drinks giant Diageo has got itself into hot water once again over its May Captain Morgan TV ad for implying that drinking the rum could increase confidence and popularity.

Last night, it was revealed that the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has banned the advert for its Captain Morgan rum brand for its "irresponsible" depiction of alcohol consumption at a party.

Julie Bramham, European marketing director for Captain Morgan, defended the ad which depicted a partygoer performing daring feats with the face of the Captain Morgan character superimposed.

"We are disappointed with the ASA's adjudication. Whilst we are pleased that the ASA chose to not uphold part of the complaint, we disagree with their interpretation of the rest of the ruling," she said.

"No alcohol was pictured and the Captain Morgan face was designed to represent the brand as a whole and not intended to be linked to the consumption of alcohol. We believe that the advert illustrated camaraderie, enjoying time with friends and living life to the full whilst taking charge of a night out and staying in control."

Two issues were investigated by the ASA.

The first complaint from Alcohol Concern said the ad implied that drinking alcohol could contribute to an individual's popularity or confidence.

This was upheld by the ASA.

The second complaint, which was made by a member of the public and was not upheld, said the ad suggested the success of the social occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol.

A statement from the ASA said: "The ASA acknowledged Diageo's and Clearcast's comments that imposing Captain Morgan's face over that of the central figure was intended to link the man's behaviour and experience to the brand's attitude of fun and living life to the full, and to the historical figure that it was named after, and not to represent drinking.

"While we agreed that the use of the Captain's face associated the character and his actions directly with the brand, we considered that viewers would equate the brand and the character with the product itself. Viewers were therefore likely to understand that the central figure's behaviour resulted from his consumption of Captain Morgan rum."

This isn't the first Captain Morgan ad that has been banned by the ASA.

Back in 2014, two ads were banned - including one Facebook advert which the ASA said implied that alcohol could combat boredom.

The ASA concluded that the 2016 ad must not appear again in its current form and Diageo were instructed not to imply that alcohol could enhance people's confidence.

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