The complainant, Alcohol Change UK, expressed concern that the on-trade promotion offers customers the opportunity to buy a single measure of Jameson’s whiskey in a small metal barrel, which can be hooked on to a pint glass.
Alcohol Change UK said that the on-trade promotion encourages consumers to ‘try a measure of Jameson with your pint’ – therefore for each pint of beer (around 2.5 units of alcohol) customers are encouraged to add another unit in the form of whiskey, increasing the alcoholic content of each round by 40%.
Reviewing the on-trade promotion in detail, the panel believed:
· That most UK consumers would not be familiar with the serve and on the point-of-sale material the serve looked more akin to a chaser, where a consumer would down the shot of whiskey before or after consuming the beer.
· The point of sale material therefore needed to work harder to communicate the intended sipping nature of the serve.
· The words “no more either or” on the point-of-sale material gave the impression that consumers did not have to make a choice between different drinks and encouraged consumers to drink more than they otherwise would have done.
· That the barrel did not urge down in one consumption as it had a flat base so the intention was that it could be placed on a surface and consumed at intervals and furthermore, the phrase ‘with your pint’ was included on the point-of-sale material.
On this basis, the panel upheld the complaint under Code Rule 3.2(f) for encouraging irresponsible consumption as the promotional material needed to communicate the sipping nature of the serve. The panel however did not uphold the complaint under Code Rule 3.2(g) because the promotional material did not ‘urge’ consumers to drink rapidly or to ‘down’ a product in one.
A spokesperson for Pernod Ricard UK said: “As one of the leading wines and spirits companies, Pernod Ricard UK is committed to the responsible marketing and promotion of its products. We acknowledge the Independent Complaints Panel’s decision and in light of this, we will ensure that future adverts of the Jameson Barrelback Whiskey clearly communicate a sipping message.”
Commenting on the decision by the Independent Complaints Panel, a Portman Group spokesperson said: “This decision by the Independent Complaints Panel highlight that producers should ensure that promotions and point-of-sale material do not encourage irresponsible drinking. Producers should think carefully about what is conveyed by the overall impression of promotions and point-of-sale material and speak to our advisory service if in any doubt. We are pleased that Pernod Ricard UK will no longer be using this point-of-sale material and are obtaining advice from our Advisory Service on future promotions.
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