The ad was created by WFCA Integrated and appeared in newspapers including the Daily Telegraph and The Times, along with Private Eye magazine.
It showed a photograph of a double-barrelled shotgun positioned between two stools and pointing at the reader. The text read: "Excuse me, I believe that's my seat".
Complaints about the ad were received from the public, as well as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Gun Trade Association and the Metropolitan Black Police Association.
Greene King defended the ad, saying research carried out before the campaign was launched found that the target audience, male bitter drinkers aged 35 to 66, recognised the humour of the campaign and feedback was positive.
The company also argued that the gun merely dramatised the uncompromising element of the situation, which was fictional and exaggerated, pointing out that other advertisements for alcohol portrayed unrealistic situations.
However, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld the complaint. It acknowledged that the tone of the ad was humorous, but in the ruling it said: "Nevertheless [it] considered that a photograph of a double-barrelled shotgun pointing at the reader could be seen as threatening and was likely to cause serious or widespread offence".
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