Ofcom has ordered Heineken not to show the ad again in its current form because it breaks the rule stating that alcohol ads "must not suggest that a drink is to be preferred because of its alcohol content".
In the ad, a stranger, played by Goodfella's star Liotta, arrives at the front door of a beer drinker who had the audacity to leave the dregs of a pint of Heineken in a bar the night before.
A menacing-looking Liotta informs the drinker that this was a waste, since Heineken was now imported from Holland.
"We got rid of the 3.4% and it's now the 5% ABV you drink abroad, and why? We believe it makes our beer better," Liotta tells the drinker before marching him off to a waiting car to finish his pint.
The BACC explained that it had cleared the ad for broadcast because it believed that the ad was alerting viewers to the fact that traditional Heineken had been replaced by a stronger one, and that it did not suggest the strong version was preferable because it was the only one available.
Heineken also backed the advertising. Leslie Meredith, UK marketing director of Heineken, said: "If anything, we believe we were being responsible in communicating the 5% ABV strength of the lager, so that drinkers didn't inadvertently consume more alcohol units than they had intended."
However, Ofcom ruled against the company. In a statement, it said that the final line "we believe in better" placed undue emphasis on alcohol strength and that the ad must be permanently suspended.
Heineken said that it was sorry the ad was deemed in breach of rules. An amended version of the beer, focusing on Heineken's unique brewing process, is to appear on air starting today.
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