Drinks adverts told 'no sexy men'

The advert was changed to feature a balding man

The makers of the sparkling perry wine Lambrini have been told to make their adverts less sexy.

The drink, made by Knowsley company Halewood International, was told to tone down its advert to avoid linking women's boozing and sexual success.

Men who star in its adverts should be "balding" and "paunchy" rather than "attractive and desirable", according to the Advertising Standards Authority.

The new rules are aimed at stopping firms from using sex to sell products.

The advertising code, launched last month, said "links must not be made between alcohol and seduction, sexual activity or sexual success".

Perhaps the ASA people should take a look in the mirror before they decide they've got the rulebook on sexual prowess John Halewood, Lambrini owner

It objected to an advert that showed three women "hooking" a slim, young man in a parody of a fairground game.

"We would advise that the man in the picture should be unattractive - i.e. overweight, middle-aged, balding etc," the regulator told the firm.

"In its current form we consider that the ad is in danger of implying that the drink may bring sexual/social success, because the man in question looks quite attractive and desirable to the girls.

"If the man was clearly unattractive, we think that this implication would be removed from the ad."

'Eye of beholder'

Lambrini owner John Halewood said the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) should not be deciding who was or was not attractive enough to star in adverts.

"The ASA makes some very understandable rulings to encourage sensible drinking but we're not sure they're qualified to decide for the nation who's sexy and who's not," he said.

"Sexual attraction is happily one of the few things in life that can't be governed.

"Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps the ASA people should take a look in the mirror before they decide they've got the rulebook on sexual prowess."