BrewDog advert claiming fruit-flavoured beer is ‘one of your five a day’ banned by ASA

A BrewDog advert claiming its fruit-flavoured beers can be considered “one of your five a day” has been banned by authorities.

As part of an email that was sent out to customers back in July this year promoting beers with names such as ‘Lost In Guava’, ‘Pineapple Punch’, and ‘Lost In Lychee & Lime’, popular brewery and pub chain BrewDog claimed the drinks could be considered “one of your five a day”.

But after someone complained to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) that the phrase was considered misleading, the advert has now been banned.

The ASA said consumers “would not expect advertisers to include such claims”.

Addressing the complaint and confirming the banning of the advert, the ASA said: “The ASA acknowledged that the subject heading ‘one of your five a day’ might be interpreted by some consumers as a humorous nod to the fruit-flavoured beers featured in the body of the email.

“However, because the claim referred to well-known government advice on health and wellbeing, we considered that, in general, consumers would not expect advertisers to include such claims unless the advertised product was recognised as meeting the requirements of that advice.”

The ASA added that many consumers would be aware that some craft beers contain an unusually high amount of fruit, but in general, they would be uncertain as to whether this would be counted as a portion.

Because of the this, the advert has been banned and must not re-appear in its current form.

BrewDog then agreed in response to the ASA ruling the advertised beers did not count towards a consumer’s five a day.

Yet, the company sarcastically followed this up by admitting the advert was just “tongue in cheek” and only sent out via email to existing customers likely aware of BrewDog’s “playful” marketing style, believing they would generally understand that alcoholic beverages are not equivalent to portions of fruit or vegetables.

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“We respect the ASA’s decision and are happy to confirm that beer is not a fruit or a vegetable,” a spokesperson for BrewDog said in response.

Featured Image – Grant Anderson (via BrewDog)