BrewDog cautioned over ‘mother f*cker’ phrase on website
BrewDog has been cautioned against causing ‘serious offence’ in future after the micro brewer fell foul of the Advertising Standards Authority once again.
The watchdog had been called in to examine the firm’s website which revelled in the use of foul language; notably ‘mother f*cker’, ‘tits’ and ‘bastards’ after one internet user challenged whether this was likely to cause offence.
The choice words were contained in a statement hosted on the home page of its site which read: “BrewDog is a post Punk apocalyptic mother fu*ker of a craft brewery. Say goodbye to the corporate beer whores crazy for power and world domination ... Ride toward anarchy and caramel craziness. Let the sharp bitter finish rip you straight to the tits. Save up for a Luger, and drill the bastards".
Upholding the complaint the watchdog said: “The ASA noted the asterisk used in "mother fu*ker", but considered its inclusion did not obscure the intended meaning and it was still clear that it represented a swear word, one generally regarded as highly offensive and unlikely to be acceptable in marketing communications.
“We considered that the other language used on the page, such as "corporate beer whores", "rip you straight to the tits" and "Save up for a Luger and drill the bastards", was also likely to cause serious offence to some people. “
BrewDog has since removed the offending statement from its website but has provided no substantive response to the ASA. The brewer has also been cautioned against causing serious offence in the future and the case has been referred to the CAP compliance team.