The public made objections to three poster ads complaining that they were likely to cause offense because they were seen as crude and sexually suggestive.
The Advertising Standards Authority did not uphold these complaints because although the ads contained sexual innuendo, it was agreed that they were likely to be seen as humorous and unlikely to cause serious offence.
However, the authority decided that the ad breached guidelines of the CAP code. The sexually suggestive positioning of the bottle in conjunction with the strapline was seen as linking sex with alcohol.
In one poster, a man is depicted wearing an unbuttoned shirt and underpants, lying on his side in a woodland setting with an axe and a bouquet of flowers in hand and a stethoscope round his neck. In each of the executions, a bottle of Diageo's Archers Aqua was placed in front of the man's groin.
A second execution features a man with a naked torso dressed in a cowboy hat and jeans with a firehose in his hand, which is shooting out white spray.
Alcohol Focus Scotland also made an objection against ads for Stiffy's Shots that appeared as posters in bus shelters and in the Metro newspaper. They ran with the strapline "Have you had a Stiffy tonight?".
The ASA upheld complaints arguing that the ad could cause serious offence, especially in an untargeted poster that could be seen by children. It also considered that many people could infer the headline implied that the product improved sexual performance.
Both advertisers have agreed to consult the CAP code and not to run the ads again.
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