BrewDog’s climate awareness ad banned by ASA
United Kingdom | The advertisement, launched to raise awareness for the brewer’s aspiring status as a carbon-negative company, reads “F*** You CO2”, with the middle of the first word obscured by a can of the brewery’s Punk IPA beer.
The campaign appeared on billboards in several locations in the UK, as well as in print in Metro, The Economist and The Week in early November 2020.
After receiving 25 complaints, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) launched an investigation to determine whether the ad was offensive and inappropriate, since it could be seen by children.
As could be expected, the watchdog concluded on 18 November that the ad was likely to cause serious and widespread offence, and therefore must not appear again in the form complained of, unless suitably targeted.
BrewDog’s co-founder, James Watt, responded to the ruling by saying on Twitter that the ASA “can go and fuck themselves. We are facing an existential climate crisis. I would also like to thank Metro & The Economist for understanding the importance of our climate campaign & running the ad.”
The Scottish brewer and the ASA have a long history of confrontation. The ASA already banned BrewDog’s billboard ad for its non-alcoholic Punk AF in December last year because it read “Sober as a Motherfu”. The ASA had received 26 complaints.
On 5 November, BrewDog also lodged its 2019 Annual Report with Companies House. According to the report, the Ellon-based company, set up by Mr Watt and Martin Dickie in 2007, made a pre-tax profit of GBP 1.1 million (USD 1.5 million) in the year to 31 December 2019, having made a loss of GBP 576,000 in the year before. Gross revenue rose to GBP 214.9 million (USD 285 million) from GBP 171.6 million.
In the report, Mr Watt said that covid-19 has had a “big impact on businesses all over the planet.” But he added: “Despite the difficulties we have managed to weather the storm better than expected, with very strong grocery sales and very strong online sales compensating for the temporary closure of our bars and the closure of our on-premises wholesale channel.”
