Leith's Coors Light ad falls foul of ASA
An advert for Coors Light has been cleared of racist claims by the Advertising Standards Authority but it has upheld a complaint that the advert was looking to promote alcohol to a younger audience.
The advert, created by The Leith Agency, featured two men and a woman drinking in the snow covered mountains before showing the two men standing in a street with a small keyboard singing a reggae style song while imitating and exaggerated Jamaican accent.
The advert ended with the woman hitting both men with a pillow.
The advert can be viewed here.
It was argued that the advert was racist and created to appeal to under 18’s.
In response, Coors said that it was opposed to racism and pointed out that there was no reference to Caribbean people or their culture. The company also said that it had liaised with Clearcast - the company responsible for the pre-transmission examination and clearance of television advertisements – which believed the advert would not cause any widespread offence.
The company also said that the advert was created to appeal to an audience of 18-34 year olds and that the humour was in the style of cult comedy programmes such as The Mighty Boosh.
Clearcast had also apparently agreed that it would not appeal to under 18’s.
The ASA upheld that the advert was not racist or offensive but it did note that BCAP Guidance Notes stated that advertisers should avoid themes that are associated with immature, adolescent or childish behaviour or practical jokes – which were clearly displayed within this advert.
As a result the ASA Rules that the advert must not be broadcast again in its current form.
To see the full report please click here.