Ofcom proposals ambiguous says Portman Group

The Portman Group has slammed plans to tighten up drinks advertising as "unnecessarily restrictive".

The drinks watchdog believes communications industry regulator Ofcom has gone too far with the proposals, which seek to prevent the portrayal of links between alcohol and anti-social or sexual behaviour.

Ofcom's public consultation on the proposals ended on September 24 and it is expected to publish detailed recommendations before the year end.

David Poley, director of policy and good practice for The Portman Group, said: "We think Ofcom has gone too far. While there is a need to look at the rules, in reality we feel that most of the problems are less to do with the rules and more to do with how they are interpreted."

In its submission The Portman Group pointed out that research by MORI had shown that drinks advertising only had a limited affect on consumption. "Its most significant impact is on brand-switching," it stated.

"It would, therefore, be unrealistic to expect a change in the rules pertaining to brand advertising to have a marked effect upon levels of alcohol misuse, by itself."

Mr Poley said some of the proposals needed to be looked at again. "Regarding sexual success, Ofcom is suggesting that scenes with flirtation should be eliminated," he said.

"If you have an advert where people of both sexes are talking, then it's unlikely you can avoid that."

The British Beer & Pub Association also has reservations about the proposals. Director of communications Mark Hastings said: "We remain to be convinced that an entirely new set of regulations is necessary.

"While we support Ofcom's objective of clarifying advertising standards, much of what it has proposed makes the situation more ambiguous."

Last week drinks giant Diageo said some parts of the draft code were "not clear enough" and "may be more restrictive on advertising freedom than Ofcom intends".

Ofcom has said it will consider all of the issues raised by the consultation before publishing its recommendations.

A spokesperson said: "We will produce detailed responses to all the issues."

Further details of the proposals are at www.ofcom.org.uk.