An Instagram post and TikTok post by Laura Whitmore for The Muff Liquor Company have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The social media posts for the liquor brand were banned for failing to identify themselves as marketing communications, inappropriately targeting under 18s, and implying that drinking could enhance confidence and was capable of changing mood.
The ads saw the ex-Love Island host drink water, beer and then a ‘Muff & Tonic’, with her dancing becoming increasingly more energetic with each drink. The caption stated ‘If drinks were dance moves @muffliquorco #makemineamuff #muffboss #irishowned’.
The brand responded to the advertising watchdog’s enquiries by clarifiying that “#irishowned”, made it clear that Whitmore was an investor and that therefore the posts were clearly identifiable as ads. Muff Liquor also highlighted that 2.7% of Ms Whitmore’s 1.6 million social media followers were under 18 years of age, and therefore understood that the product had not been inappropriately targeted to under-18s.
The Irish alcohol company also added that the TV presenter did not consume an excessive amount of alcohol in the ads, nor did she encourage any type of irresponsible drinking.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Nevertheless, the ad authority found the ads to be in breach of several Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) codes.
“We noted that both ads did not include a clear identifier such as “#ad”, nor did they engage Instagram or TikTok’s proprietary advertising disclosure tools, but instead contained the hashtags “#muffboss” and “#irishowned”,” the ASA added.
The ASA also found that under 18s were likely to see the ad on TikTok’s For You page even if users were not following Whitmore. The regulator also considered that the song lyrics featured in the ad “encouraged irresponsible drinking”.
