Lambrini ordered to pre-vet ads after sexual innuendo

by Staff,, Brand Republic 16-Jun-04, 08:30

LONDON - Sparkling wine brand Lambrini has been ordered to clear all of its advertising with the Copy Advice Team after a number of complaints about its ads, including a poster that read 'I love a man with a powerful beast between his legs'.

The ads were created by CheethamBell JWT and appeared in railway stations in Liverpool. There were 11 complaints about the series of ads, which all showed a group of women laughing.

The posters featured four different straplines, including "Better to be on the jockey who comes last!", "Leather boots and whips. Don't you just love a day at the races", and "What I'd give for a well-trained stallion".

The complaints objected that the sexual innuendo was offensive on all four posters. The Sovereign Distillery, which distributes Lambrini, argued that the brand had a history of encouraging young women to have a laugh and of suggesting the kind of banter they might have over a drink, saying that it was intended to be light-hearted and realistic.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority did not see it that way, ruling that the posters were likely to cause widespread offence. The authority also found that the ads were guilty of linking the brand with sex and, therefore, in breach of the spirit of the alcohol rules of the code.

It has said that Lambrini must now get all future posters pre-vetted for the next two years.

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