The ad shows a range of sporting activities including running, cycling, diving and kickboxing before cutting to a couple enjoying a beer in a bar.
The voiceover and text read: "If this is what your life is about, this is your beer."
Complainants to the Advertising Standards Authority were worried that young people would associate beer with fitness and one viewer said that combining alcohol and exercise would be dangerous.
DDB London defended the ad saying that for those who enjoy a healthy lifestyle and who enjoy beer, Michelob Ultra was the beer for them. It said it separated the scenes by shooting the sports people in black and white in sportwear in direct contrast to the bar scene, where the people were in colour wearing casual clothes.
The advertiser also pointed out that the message was not that the drink can enhance your sporting prowess because the beer was enjoyed after sports.
The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre agreed with the advertisers' response admitting other beer ads, such as Guinness and London Pride, had associated itself with sporting activities in the past.
In addition, no heath benefit was made in the Michelob Ultra commercial and the ad did not advocate drinking alcohol while exercising.
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