Beer advert banned for sex link

The ASA said the advert linked alcohol with social success

A beer advert has become the first to fall foul of rules banning any link between alcohol and sexual success.

The Young's Bitter billboard poster of a man with a ram's head surrounded by scantily clad women, had the strap line "This is a Ram's World".

The Advertising Standards Authority said it and a second Young's poster breached rules introduced on October 1 last year and they should be withdrawn.

Young's denied implying drinking its beer led to sexual or social success.

Industry watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the strap line on the poster featuring the women implied Young's drinkers were personified by the ram, who was the focal point of female attention.

We were concerned viewers would be misled into thinking the advertiser offered a treatment that was more effective than it actually was Advertising Standards Authority Gooch hair adverts criticised

Another "Ram's World" poster showed the same figure dressed in a suit and surrounded by well dressed men at a gentleman's club.

The ASA told Young and Co's Brewery to ensure it did not link its product with success at a social occasion or seduction in future adverts.

'Preposterous'

The tighter rules affecting broadcast and non-broadcast adverts came into force in response to public concerns about under-age and irresponsible drinking.

ASA spokesman Matt Wilson described the Young's ruling as a "benchmark" for others in the industry to work from.

Young & Co's Brewery said the ram in the adverts related to one which had appeared on the brewery's logo for more than 150 years.

It said the idea of a ram being in the social situations shown in the posters was so preposterous that people would understand it was not real.

Spokesman Michael Hardman said: "These advertisements were introduced as part of a light-hearted campaign in 2004, well before the rules on the advertising of alcohol were tightened.

"They were repeated last year but we had already taken the decision not to run them again when our case went before the ASA."