Claire Hu
Halewood International fears its new £5m television campaign for ready-to-drink brand Red Square Reloaded could be banned under revised “no fun, no flirting” Ofcom rules on alcohol advertising.
The advert for the caffeine-based RTD shows stencil cut-out figures dancing and running against an urban backdrop, as part of Halewood’s drive to give the brand a more street-cred image among 18 to 24-year-olds.
Marketing controller Richard Clark said there were fears the new Ofcom rules, due to come into force in November followed by a period of grace, would exclude advertisements that showed people enjoying themselves in a social context.
He said other drinks
companies were “very carefully examining” their promotional activity and many believed their current ads would be banned.
“People are looking at the deadlines very carefully,” he said. “Companies are now asking themselves what their brands stand for and if they have got the message across before the new rules come into force. We are concerned, because drinks brands are based on people having fun in a safe way, and we don’t know if we will be able to show that in the future.”
The company claims the Red Square Reloaded ad, which was approved by watchdogs and devised by Principals Agency, is a creative first. It ends with a picture of the bottle with a neon sign highlighting the principal ingredients of vodka, caffeine and taurine.
Art director Paul Alexander said: “It was quite a challenge because we couldn’t show the dancers doing anything that could be perceived to have been inspired by alcohol.”
The TV campaign breaks on November 1 and will be repeated next spring. It will be accompanied by radio, press and PR and sampling.
Halewood International fears its new £5m television campaign for ready-to-drink brand Red Square Reloaded could be banned under revised “no fun, no flirting” Ofcom rules on alcohol advertising.
The advert for the caffeine-based RTD shows stencil cut-out figures dancing and running against an urban backdrop, as part of Halewood’s drive to give the brand a more street-cred image among 18 to 24-year-olds.
Marketing controller Richard Clark said there were fears the new Ofcom rules, due to come into force in November followed by a period of grace, would exclude advertisements that showed people enjoying themselves in a social context.
He said other drinks
companies were “very carefully examining” their promotional activity and many believed their current ads would be banned.
“People are looking at the deadlines very carefully,” he said. “Companies are now asking themselves what their brands stand for and if they have got the message across before the new rules come into force. We are concerned, because drinks brands are based on people having fun in a safe way, and we don’t know if we will be able to show that in the future.”
The company claims the Red Square Reloaded ad, which was approved by watchdogs and devised by Principals Agency, is a creative first. It ends with a picture of the bottle with a neon sign highlighting the principal ingredients of vodka, caffeine and taurine.
Art director Paul Alexander said: “It was quite a challenge because we couldn’t show the dancers doing anything that could be perceived to have been inspired by alcohol.”
The TV campaign breaks on November 1 and will be repeated next spring. It will be accompanied by radio, press and PR and sampling.
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