BrewDog’s "Sober as a motherfu" outdoor campaign has been accused of causing offence and being viewable by children, sparking an investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority.
The work for BrewDog’s alcohol-free IPA Punk AF, by Uncommon Creative Studio, launched this week. Its play on words is deliberately provocative but an entirely in-character tone of voice for the brand.
A day after the campaign launched, the ASA received 14 complaints that it was "likely to cause serious or widespread offence", while a further 10 complainants took issue with its outdoor exposure, arguing that it was inappropriate for display in a medium where it could be seen by children.
One Twitter user said she was greeted with the ad near her daughter's primary school. The tweet drew a response from another user, who said he thought the campaign was a "mis-step by @Uncommon_LDN". "Normally love their work, but this grates," he added.
Just arrived outside my daughter’s primary school. Just why
— Catherine (@SydScarborough)
The media was planned by Craft Media, which used Goodstuff Communications’ G-Force to buy the space.
The ASA told ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 that it was "currently investigating and will publish our decision in due course". ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 also contacted BrewDog, Craft Media and Uncommon for comment, but has not heard back at the time of writing.
This is not the first run-in between BrewDog and the ASA over this particular swearword. Back in 2013, the brand hit back at the watchdog following a reprimand over "offensive" ads, saying "those ASA motherf*ckers have no jurisdiction over us".
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