A complaint against a festival activation by Korean soju brand Jinro has been upheld by the Portman Group’s Independent Complaints Panel (ICP), after it was found to link the brand with sexual activity and social success.
The complaint, made by an attendee at the All Points East music festival in Victoria Park, London, argued a sign on the top of Jinro’s bar that read ‘Easy To Drink, Drink To Link’ implied “to have (typically casual) sexual relations with”.
Under the Portman Group’s code of conduct, an alcoholic drink or its promotional material must not suggest any association with sexual activity or sexual success (code rule 3.2(d)), or suggest consumption of the drink can lead to social success or popularity (code rule 3.2(e)).
The line ‘drink to link’ was used to convey “Jinro’s global compatibility where consumers could enjoy an alcoholic beverage alongside food, family, friends, colleagues and places”, Jinro argued.
However, the ICP considered that in the context of dating ‘link’ was used as a slang word to refer to having sex with a romantic partner, and that the phrase would be understood as an instruction to consume the drink and engage in sexual activity.
They also considered that ‘link’ could refer to the act of ‘linking up with someone’, meaning the sign could also be interpreted as suggesting consuming the drink would lead to social success or popularity.
It therefore found the marketing material in violation of code rule 3.2(d) and code rule 3.2(e).
Jinro said it respected the decision of the panel and would not use the disputed phrase again in the UK.
“We strongly wish to convey that our tagline was never intended to be associated with sexual activity or sexual success, nor to suggest that alcohol consumption could lead to social success or popularity,” said Deuk-yeol Yoo, assistant manager of global marketing at Jinro producer HiteJinro.
The confusion arose because of “differences in expression between Korean and English”, they insisted.
ICP panel chair Rachel Childs, said: “While the panel accepted that both breaches of the code were inadvertent in this instance, producers should bear in mind that where there is often a lack of context in promotional activity, some phrases may have multiple meanings and that it’s important to be mindful of cultural differences.”
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