Beer leads to ... whey hey hey, banned Budweiser commercial implies
The puritans on the board of the Advertising Standards Authority lack any sense of irony, or on 10 April 2012 they would not have banned a radio commercial for Budweiser beer, after a complaint that it suggested that men who drink beer on a night on the town would be more likely to "pull" (ie attract the opposite sex) than .. than ... sadly the commercial would not say.
According to a transcript leaked to British media, the offensive commercial featured an American football coach giving a motivational pep talk before a lads’ night out.
The man is heard telling the group: “... gentlemen, there is nothing special about tonight ... tonight is underrated. Tonight is free of expectation. Tonight you cannot be disappointed, it’s just another night. That’s why tonight could be the greatest night of your life."
“Because it’s on nights like tonight that you end up at a party and you don’t know a single person who’s carrying you on their shoulders. It’s on nights like tonight when you wanna bring your passport, just in case. Gentlemen, you were conceived on a night like tonight."
“So tonight, before going out for that ice cold Budweiser, you put in that extra two minutes in front of the mirror. Because you never know who you’re going to meet ... So raise your bottles of Budweiser high in the air and make a toast to tonight. Now get out there, great times are waiting. Say it with me now ...”
Oh dear, who would have thought this ad suggestive of anything? At best it's an ironic spoof of that half-baked psychology mumbo jumbo employed by football coaches to gather their players' thoughts and prepare them mentally for the challenges of a match.
A recipe for scoring, even with the help of beer? Nah, not by a wide stretch of the imagination.
The ASA board apparently has more of a one-track mind than the rest of us, because it thought the ad contravened UK advertising standards which forbid the linking of drinking to "irresponsible behaviour, social success or sexual attractiveness".
Upholding a complaint about the ad, which was broadcasted last December, the ASA said it "must not be broadcast again in its current form".
It also ordered AB-InBev to ensure future promotions do not link alcohol to potential sexual success.
The brewer denied suggesting its beer led to sexual success and insisted it was "fully committed to the responsible marketing of its products".
