Published: 5th August 2009
Written by: OLN News Team
An alcohol delivery service in Southampton has been condemned by the Advertising Standards Authority for a flier which made a play on the acronym A&E.
The ASA accepted a complaint that the ad for the Alcohol In Emergency service – which corrupted the initials to A in E – was offensive in light of the number of alcohol-related casualties dealt with by hospitals.
The watchdog also upheld a complaint that the flier encouraged irresponsible drinking by portraying alcohol as indispensible.
In its ruling, the ASA said that a claim by the company to provide a “quick link to drink” was “likely to be seen as a reference to consuming alcohol within a short period of time in an excessive manner”.
It said the overall presentation was “offensive and socially irresponsible”.
Alcohol In Emergency has argued that the phrase “A In E” had only been used for brevity and that the “quick link” reference was a reference to delivery rather than consumption times.