Here at Pete Brown’s Beer Blog we’ve never flinched from the truth. We’ve always been brave, going where others fear to tread. And I know that this sentiment is shared by our regular readers.
That’s why, after long deliberations and sleepless nights spent agonising with my conscience, I’ve taken the decision to publish the following advert – I believe that you guys can handle it:
I know, I know, it’s shocking isn’t it? The clear exhortation that the man should get steaming drunk and then tell his girlfriend she’s fat, before losing said girlfriend and embarking on a downward spiral of alcoholism that will see him sitting in the gutter in a pool of his own piss, is so powerful, so persuasive, that we should be thankful to the three members of the public who complained about it, and grateful to the Advertising Standards Authority for banning it from our streets on the grounds that “the combination of the text and the image of the man with an open beer can and half empty glass of beer was likely to be understood by consumers to carry the clear implication that the beer would give the man enough confidence to tell the woman that the dress was unflattering.”
Sleep soundly in your beds tonight, readers, grateful that we live in a country where the authorities go to such inspired lengths to protect us from the dangers of a 440ml can of 4% ABV bitter.
Ok, ok – yes the complain-athon habit is getting to ingrained and people shouldn’t be so easily offended yadda yadda yadda.
Breathtakingly crass ad, though, eh? I mean rip-hair-out-of-head crass. Awful. You’d leave a pub serving Courage rather than endure having to think of the process Tarquin and Giles went through to produce it.
Fair point well made.
It’s one of those “I don’t like shit advertising, but I defend to the death your right to make it” type situations.
I do agree with you, Pete.
With another hat on, though, I think this is generally the type of beer advert I’d like to see less of. You did this post a while back on those Urquell ads:
http://petebrown.blogspot.com/2008/11/hurrah-decent-lager-ad-campaign.html
You were right – spot on stuff.
Likewise, I liked this Amstel ad I wrote about here:
http://jesusjohn.blogspot.com/2009/03/on-selling-beer.html
I just get frustrated with the laziness of beer advertising per se.
Pete
Here’s my post about old courage adverts last year with some top retro advertising stuff:
http://living4pleasurealone.blogspot.com/2008/02/fancy-pint.html
you may want to add some tunes to your post I send the code for an embedded player with a rocking Courage tune from 60’s please be warned you will be injecting neat polish spirit into you eyes after just one listen!
Oh I thought the ad was about dutch courage about taking on such a hot curvy man eating lass!
I can think of a couple of good reasons to ban this advert but neither of them match the ASA one.
And there was me thinking that the look on his face was “bloody hell, she has left the label on again”.
From today’s guardian letters page:
“Who are these people who persuaded the Advertising Standards Authority to rule that beer does not increase courage (Beer advert is too strong, says watchdog, 15 April)? I hope that Courage Brewers have the conviction to stand up to such an absurd denial of the facts. Alcohol reduces both fear and inhibitions. Dutch or otherwise, courage is courage.
Dr Allan Dodds
Consultant neuropsychologist, Nottingham”
I’m with BLTP: I’d hit that.