Brit ad watchdog tells brewer its 'Take Courage' beer campaign breaks rules

London, April 15 (ANI): A brewing company in Britain has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority that its beer ad with the slogan "Take Courage My Friend" constitutes a serious breach of rules, which say alcohol cannot be seen to promote confidence.

Wells and Young's brewing company has been asked to remove the billboard posters that feature a man sitting on a sofa with a can and glass of beer beside him, and a woman standing with her back to him wearing a figure-hugging dress that had its sales label still attached.

The slogan in a bubble coming from a large pint reads: "Take Courage My Friend". Several consumers approached the Advertising Standards Authority with the complaint that the advertisement suggested that drinking the beer made the man brave enough to tell the woman the he did not like the dress she had just bought.

According to the watchdog, after the tightening of the rules two years ago, ads can no longer suggest "that any alcoholic drink has therapeutic qualities or can change moods or enhance confidence".

"We considered that the combination of the text and the image of the man with an open beer can and half empty glass of beer was likely to be understood by consumers to carry the clear implication that the beer would give the man enough confidence to tell the woman that the dress was unflattering," the Telegraph quoted the watchdog as saying.

"We concluded that the poster breached the Code by suggesting that the beer could increase confidence," the watchdog added. (ANI)