After several months delay the Alcohol Advertising Review Board has released their comments in relation to a number of Carlton & United Breweries’ (CUB) advertisements.
These ads were judged by the health lobby against their own code, with no involvement from industry or governments, and outside the well-respected Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) system.
CUB responded to complaints received asking that they be submitted to ABAC for a proper review.
“Both the ASB and ABAC hold the alcohol industry to account, as can be seen from their decisions which have seen advertising campaigns removed,” said Jeremy Griffith, Director of Corporate Affairs for CUB.
“CUB works hard to ensure that our advertising is responsible, however, we use humour in ads, which won’t always appeal to everyone, but never encourage people to drink irresponsibly or target and appeal to children.
“Less than 4% of complaints received by the Advertising Standards Bureau each year relate to alcohol advertising, if we were out of line with community expectations, we would be seeing much more.
“The health lobby is driving an agenda to ban alcohol advertising and sports sponsorship, in addition to increasing prices, raising the drinking age to 21, reducing pubs and bottle shops and banning promotions.
“In this case, the health lobby has failed to recognise that the current review process for alcohol advertising is rigorous and effective and meets with community standards.
It is important to note that alcohol consumption in Australia on a per capita basis continues to trend downwards and the majority of Australians enjoy beer in moderation and responsibly.
We will continue to work with governments and other groups to ensure that our marketing, products and promotions meet with community standards, and to encourage responsible consumption of our products.
Source: ?Foster Group