Shepherd Neame cleared over Spitfire ads

Related tags Shepherd neame Advertising

Shepherd Neame is to continue its lighthearted advertising campaign for Spitfire ale after complaints about the posters were dismissed by the...

Shepherd Neame is to continue its lighthearted advertising campaign for Spitfire ale after complaints about the posters were dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Each of the five posters featured a beer pump with a Spitfire pump clip and the strapline "The Bottle of Britain".

One contained the statement "Votz zo funny about zeez posters?" while another had the line "The goat and the marmoset play all night by the river in spring and late summer" with letters that formed the phrase "German beer is pants" circled.

The posters were displayed on the London Underground, but were removed after complaints from German tourists last year.

The ASA also received complaints from people who felt the posters could be construed as racist.

Another poster, featuring the statement "Rear gunners drink lager shandy" also prompted complaints from people who thought "rear gunners" was a derogatory term used to describe gay men.

Shepherd Neame said the campaign, launched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, was meant to be light-hearted and was not intended to offend.

The brewer has vowed to continue with the campaign after the ASA ruled last week that the posters "did not disparage Germans and were unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence".

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