Camden Town Brewery has been told to pull a TV ad after the Advertising Standards Authority ruled it could appeal to children.
The advert, first seen in April 2023, featured an animated “blob-like cartoon figure” and “fantasy brewery tour”, both of which were likely to be found engaging by an under-18 audience, the ASA said.
The 30-second spot depicts a woman who orders a pint of “the usual” in her local pub, before being sucked into the taps and transported to a brewery. There, she meets a blob-like character which emerges from a river of beer along which she is travelling in a pint glass.
The character, which the ASA said “looked amiable and friendly” and could “resemble a make-believe character in a children’s book or TV programme” brandishes a pint of beer at the woman, before giving a thumbs-up and winking at the screen at the end of the ad.
Camden Town owner AB InBev said the inclusion of animated characters alone would not make an ad have strong appeal to under-18s.
It argued that the characters’ voices – provided by comedian Sarah Levine and UK grime artist Jammer – and the choice of music had been chosen specifically to avoid appealing to children.
It added that the settings of a pub and a brewery were “rooted in an environment that under-18s would not have experience of”.
Advertising NGO Clearcast said the ad had received a DC alcohol scheduling restriction, preventing it from appearing adjacent to children’s programmes or those likely to appeal to under-18s.
It said it had worked closely with Camden Town to help them ensure the beer guide character “was not likely to have any strong youth appeal”, citing its lack of “cutesy features” such as big lips or oversized eyes.
The ASA acknowledged the setting and animation style of the ad would not necessarily be “familiar or attractive to under-18s” but upheld the complaint on the basis the “fantastical-looking world” filled with “bold and striking” colours would appeal to a younger audience.
The watchdog also rejected Clearcast’s defence of the beer guide character, stating it was “brightly coloured, rounded and could change shape”. They noted its “playful and unpredictable” behaviour that engaged with viewers at the ad’s end.
“We told Camden Town Brewery to ensure their ads in future are appropriately marketed towards adults, and have banned this ad to make it clear to all alcohol advertisers what we expect,” said ASA senior media relations officer Toby King.
A Camden Town spokesperson said it would comply with the ruling and ensure its communications were “carried out in a socially responsible manner”.
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