Guinness tweet 'not irresponsible' says ASA following Alcohol Concern complaint
Diageo-owned beer brand Guinness has avoided a ruling from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) following a complaint from Alcohol Concern.
The charity raised concerns over a tweet on the GuinnessTwitter feed that stated "A good week starts here" and featured a black and white photo of the brewery gates. Alcohol Concern felt the ad implied that someone's week would be improved by drinking alcohol and called it irresponsible.
A good week starts here. pic.twitter.com/vY2WXF2sUT
— Guinness Ireland (@GuinnessIreland) February 2, 2015
Diageo said it believed the ad's message, combined with a picture of the brewery gates, would be understood by readers to be a reference to "a good week of work brewing Guinness".
The drinks giant stated that the tweet formed part of a bigger Guinness campaign which focused on telling the stories of the people behind the beer, such as the stories of employees at the brewery.
20 similar tweets went out during the duration of the campaign about people working at the brewer, added Diageo.
The ASA said that given the context of the ad it did not imply that someone's week would be improved by the consumption of alcohol and it concluded that the ad was not irresponsible or in breach of the Code.
No further action was necessary.