Bower Hard Kombucha Instagram posts

Expedited Determination No. 48/24

 

Product:                       Bower Hard Kombucha

Company:                    Bower Brewing

Date of Complaint:     21 March 2024

Complaint:  The advertisements showcase a man drinking an alcohol product whilst submerged in water. Given the risk associated with alcohol consumption whilst swimming, we believe that these advertisements should be removed from public circulation.

Code Standard:  Part 3 (d) of the ABAC Code provides that a Marketing Communication must NOT show (visibly, audibly or by direct implication) the consumption of an Alcohol Beverage before or during any activity that, for safety reasons, requires a high degree of alertness or physical co-ordination, such as the control of a motor vehicle, boat or machinery or swimming.

 

Marketing:  The complaint concerns the advertising of the product on the Company’s Instagram page with images of a man drinking from or holding a can of the product while in a swimming pool.

Company Action:  The Company elected not to dispute the breach and confirmed that the posts had been removed from the Instagram page on 25 March 2024.

 

Nature of Breach:  Instagram posts showing a person in a swimming pool while holding or consuming the product is inconsistent with the Part 3(d) standard.

Chief Adjudicator

26 March 2024