Estrella Damm ad cleared by ASA

A cinema ad for Estrella Damm beer, distributed and marketed by Wells & Young's, has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after complaints that it linked alcohol to sexual success.

The ad showed a man getting off a boat on an island, meeting two women and travelling around the island with them. The three people appeared very close and the man seemed to have a romantic relationship with one of the women. In several scenes the three people drank Estrella beer together.

At the end of the ad the man got back on the boat with a bottle of beer in his hand. Text on the screen next to a close up of a bottle of Estrella said, "Good times never end if there's something to remind you of them".

The ASA received two complaints that the ad appeared to link alcohol to sexual success.

However, the ASA said as the ad was lengthy (3minutes 40 seconds), it told a story while ensuring the ad did not link alcohol to sexual success. It said the ad showed relationships being formed through shared experiences over time and not through the consumption of alcohol.

"At no point did the ad show alcohol being used as a seductive instrument," it said.

"We considered that by not featuring alcohol or its consumption in the scenes where we saw the relationship between the male character and the female character develop, the ad avoided directly linking alcohol to sexual success.

"We noted that there were several scenes that featured nudity but we considered these in keeping with acceptable standards and not so strong as to directly link alcohol consumption with sexual success.

"We considered that viewers would interpret the message of the ad in terms of an association of the Estrella brand with a pleasant and memorable holiday atmosphere and tone. We therefore concluded that the ad was not irresponsible."