Ireland

Conor McGregor stout brand cited over ‘sexually suggestive’ online ad campaign

Complainant to Advertising Standards Authority said advert contained sexualised content which made a link between alcohol and sexual relations or performance

Conor McGregor: An advert for his Forged Irish Stout brand which 'put significant emphasis' on the 'cleavages and bottoms' of female models, has been deemed and in breach of advertising standards. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Marese McDonagh
Thu Jul 4 2024 - 20:19

An advert for Conor McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout which “put significant emphasis” on the “cleavages and bottoms” of female models has been deemed overtly sexual and in breach of advertising standards.

In its latest bulletin, in which it upheld complaints about 18 advertisements across a range of media, the Advertising Standards Authority complaints committee found the Instagram reel advertising the beer was “sexually suggestive” and in breach of its code.

The promotion featured a group of models wearing crop tops and “high-leg hotpants” posing around a vehicle drinking pints of Forged Stout. The ad also featured a person dressed as a life-sized Forged Stout can.

A complainant said the ad contained sexualised content which made a link between alcohol and sexual relations or performance.

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Noting the focus on parts of the women’s bodies, the complaints committee said there was no creative reason for this “other than to objectify the female models”. It also found that the interaction between the models and the person dressed as a pint was sexually suggestive.

A number of other alcohol-related ads also prompted complaints to the ASA. One complaint that the advice to “enjoy alcohol sensibly” was said too fast to be understood on a radio ad for the Musgrave Group (Centra) was upheld.

There were three complaints upheld against a National Dairy Council television advert featuring a female rugby player. It referred to “our beautiful and rich green grass” which “lies at the heart of our naturally nutritious, sustainably produced milk”.

Complainants said it was misleading and “greenwashing” to claim milk was sustainably produced “because of the damage the dairy industry caused to the environment”.

The complainants argued that Irish agriculture was “the single biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland and caused the greatest amount of biodiversity loss in Ireland due to the national herd and because of the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers”.

Upholding the complaints, the authority said that while it noted the steps taken by Irish dairy farmers to be more sustainable, the advertisement had included an absolute claim that milk was “sustainably produced”.

It reminded advertisers not to make absolute claims without qualification unless evidence is provided.

Meanwhile, a complaint over an estate agent accused of underestimating the time it would take to walk from a property on Dublin’s north side to the city centre was upheld.

In an advert, MoveHome suggested a house for sale in Glasnevin was a 28-minute walk from the city centre. But using the Spire on O’Connell Street as a reference point, a complainant argued that this was misleading, as it was a 50-minute walk at a minimum.

Another MoveHome advert describing a house as a three-bedroom property was branded misleading by a complainant, who said two of the bedrooms did not meet the criteria to be classed as such. The rooms lacked the required two means of escape “such as a door and a window”, it was pointed out. That complaint was also upheld.

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