BrewDog ad banned for implying beer beats boredom and loneliness

A poster for BrewDog has been banned by the advertising watchdog for implying that alcohol can beat boredom, loneliness or frustration.

The ad for the firm’s Wingman beer, seen in May, was headlined: “BrewDog. Always Got Your Back.”

It continued beneath: “Some things in life go AWOL – WiFi fails, the weather turns hostile, and your buddy’s ‘five minutes’ turns into a full-scale delay. But Wingman? Wingman stands firm. Always on station, always mission-ready, always got your back. Because every great operation deserves a great Wingman.”

The Advertising Standards Watchdog (ASA) said it received one complaint. BrewDog said the ad promised reliable quality rather than implying any sort of relief.

The firm said it did not believe the ad claimed or implied that the beer had any therapeutic or mood-altering effects, nor that the ad suggested alcohol was essential or a priority in life.

The ASA acknowledged that the poster had an air force theme, including the product’s name, references to “always on station, always mission-ready”, and some of the imagery, which included a bird wearing a flying jacket, helmet and goggles.

It also noted BrewDog’s comments that the advert portrayed Wingman Session IPA as being of reliable quality.

But it said the comparison of scenarios where someone was “frustrated and bored, potentially lonely” was “likely to be viewed as problematic”.

It added: “The implication was that Wingman was a solution to overcoming those problems that were likely to result in boredom, frustration and potentially loneliness.

“For those reasons, we considered the ad implied that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems and concluded it breached the code.”

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told BrewDog to ensure their future ads did not imply that drinking alcohol could overcome boredom, loneliness or other problems.”

A spokesman for BrewDog said: “We acknowledge the ASA’s ruling on our recent Wingman advert and we are disappointed with the outcome, which we believe does not reflect the spirit or intent behind the campaign.”

It is not the first BrewDog advert to be criticised by the ASA.

In July 2022, an email was sent to BrewDog customers suggesting its fruit-flavoured beers counted as “one of your five-a-day”. The regulator said the advert could not appear again and warned BrewDog not to repeat the claim.

The previous year, the Scottish brewer offered shoppers the chance to find a gold can worth £15,000 hidden in cases sold from its online store.

But some winners complained to the ASA after they discovered the cans were not solid gold, but were gold-plated instead.

The regulator banned the adverts, with BrewDog co-founder James Watt admitting the firm had got the campaign “wrong”.

The company was founded by Mr Watt and Martin Dickie, both fishermen at the time, in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, in 2007, before growing into a £1bn brand in just a decade.

It is known for its craft beers and IPAs, and has breweries and pubs across the globe, including 71 in the UK, of which 17 are in Scotland. It also has bars in Dubai, the US and Australia.

However, earlier this month, BrewDog announced plans to shut 10 of its bars, saying they were no longer “commercially viable”, sparking a furious response from unions over fears of job cuts.

Mr Watt stepped down as CEO in May last year, saying he would move to a newly created position of “captain and co-founder” while retaining his shares in the company.