ITC Upholds Complaints Against Carling TV Ad
The ITC has upheld complaints against a TV ad for Carling Beer and has ruled it can only be shown after the 9pm watershed.
The ad shows a woman pouring a trail of beer around her home, which her boyfriend licks off the floor. He follows the trail to her bedroom where she goes to pour the remaining beer on herself and finds the can empty.
The ITC received complaints from a total of 69 viewers, 38 of which felt that the advert was unsuitable to be shown at a time when children could be watching. A number of viewers particularly objected to the licking scenes, with some describing them as “disgusting”.
BACC said it had approved the advertisement with the standard alcohol scheduling restriction because it felt children would not grasp the sexual innuendo of it. However, both BACC and ITC felt that the heavy scheduling of the ad during the World Cup matches would attract a large audience of children.
The ITC felt the ad contained sexual and adult scenes, claiming it was clear from the man’s actions and his partner’s response to them that he was mimicking oral sex. It concluded the advert should only be broadcast after the 9pm watershed.
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