Top drinks marketing campaigns and news in January

Southern Comfort’s Instagram ads banned by watchdog

Southern Comfort fell foul of the UK’s advertising watchdog after two Instagram adverts were found to portray people under the age of 25 drinking alcohol.

The adverts were posted on the social media site on 29 October by two ‘influencers’.

Both received a complaint, arguing that they breached the UK code for non-broadcast advertising and direct and promotional marketing because they showed someone who seemed to be, or were, under the age of 25. Francesca Perks, a blogger with over 22,000 Instagram followers, posted an ad with two images, one showing her holding a cocktail, the other showing the drink on a table and a bottle of Southern Comfort in the background.

Singer Jack Remmington, who has over 42,000 Instagram followers, also posted two photos, one depicting him with a woman drinking a cocktail, the other showing a cocktail next to a Southern Comfort bottle.

The controversial adverts were part of a UK campaign by Sazerac to promote a ‘Shark Bite’ drink ahead of Halloween on 31 October. Sazerac said that Perks was 22 when the advert was posted. After being alerted by the ASA, Perks was asked to remove the post.

The US-headquartered drinks company also noted that Remmington was 25-years-old when the advert was posted on his Instagram account.