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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

August 30, 2016 | 3 min read

One of Captain Morgan's top marketers has said the brand "disagrees" with an Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruling that has banned part of its £4.6m 'Live Like The Captain' campaign.

The ad, which launched in May, centered around the brand's bearded mascot - whose face was overlaid on to a dancing character aboard an old-fashioned sailing ship.

Taking on the look of the advertiser's logo, the man was depicted dancing with friends, upending a sofa so that someone lying on it was tipped off into standing position, and using a rope to swing from one deck to another, as on-screen text stated 'Captain the Dancefloor' and 'Captain the Night'.

It has been issued with a ban from the regulator following a complaint from addiction charity Alcohol Concern, which contested that the Diageo-owned firm had implied that alcohol could enhance an individual's confidence and that the spot hinted that the success of a social occasion depended on the presence or consumption of alcohol.

While the latter issue was not upheld, the watchdog followed through on the first complaint, saying that the promotion was "irresponsible" for implying that drinking alcohol could enhance personal qualities.

Diageo argued that it was the sense of fun and camaraderie among the partygoers that was depicted as making the event successful rather than the consumption of alcohol. It added that it was clear from the opening shot of the ad that the party was in full swing, with people dancing and enjoying themselves. However, the ASA took a different view.

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"Although the ad did not explicitly depict drinking alcohol as resulting in a change in the central character’s behaviour in a 'before and after' scenario, we considered that the superimposed Captain Morgan face implied that he had already consumed the product and thus linked his confident behaviour to this consumption," said the regulator.

"We concluded that the ad implied that drinking alcohol could enhance personal qualities and was therefore irresponsible."

In a statement, the company's European marketing director, Julie Bramham, said is was "disappointed," with the adjudication.

"While we are pleased that the ASA chose to not uphold part of the complaint, we disagree with their interpretation on the rest of the ruling," she continued.

"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."

Nonetheless, the spot – part of a multimillion pound push – must not be shown again in it's current form.

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