Brewdog advert banned for suggesting alcohol can cure disappointment

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received one complaint about the advert

A poster for BrewDog’s Wingman beer has been banned by the advertising watchdog for implying that alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness, or disappointment.

The advertisement for the brewing firm’s Wingman beer, seen in May, featured the headline: "Brewdog. Always Got Your Back".

It continued: "Some things in life go AWOL – WiFi fails, the weather turns hostile, and your buddy’s ‘five minutes’ turns into a full-scale delay. But Wingman? Wingman stands firm.

“Always on station, always mission-ready, always got your back. Because every great operation deserves a great Wingman."

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received one complaint that the ad implied alcohol was a remedy for disappointment, suffering, and isolation.

BrewDog stated the ad did not imply the beer provided comfort, relief, or escape from any form of distress. The company maintained that it positioned the product as being of reliable quality rather than a remedy or coping mechanism.

BrewDog also did not believe the ad claimed or implied that the beer had any therapeutic or mood-altering effects or that the ad suggested alcohol was essential or a priority in life.

The poster for BrewDog, which has been has been banned for implying that alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or disappointment (ASA)

The ASA acknowledged that the ad had an air force theme, including the product’s name, references to “always on station, always mission-ready”, and some of the imagery, which included a bird wearing a flying jacket, helmet and goggles.

The watchdog noted BrewDog’s comments that the ad positioned Wingman Session IPA as being of reliable quality, and acknowledged that the scenarios presented in the ad – wifi outages, unexpected bad weather and a friend running late – were mundane and everyday annoyances.

It said: “However, we considered that those scenarios, which would likely result in a person having to wait for an outcome outside of their control and having their day interrupted in a negative way, were likely to result in people feeling frustrated and bored, potentially lonely and would be likely to be viewed as problematic.

“We considered that although the ad used metaphorical language to evoke Wingman’s reliability, consistency and a sense of camaraderie, the scenarios presented were real-life problems that were likely to impact people in a negative way and the implication was that Wingman was a solution to overcoming those problems that were likely to result in boredom, frustration and potentially loneliness.

“For those reasons, we considered the ad implied that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems and concluded it breached the code.”

BrewDog was disappointed with ASA’s ruling (PA Archive)

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told BrewDog to ensure their future ads did not imply that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems.”

A spokesman for BrewDog said: “We acknowledge the ASA’s ruling on our recent Wingman advert and we are disappointed with the outcome, which we believe does not reflect the spirit or intent behind the campaign.

“That said, we won’t be running the ad again.”