by John Harrington
Drinks firms have little to fear from the new draft guides for advertising alcohol, which help to clarify what can be used in alcohol ads on TV and radio.
That's the view of Bacardi MD Chris Searl who chairs the alcohol group in the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA), as the Broadcast Committee of Ad-vertising Practice (BCAP) launches the consultation on its new guidelines for drinks advertisers.
The guides are intended to codify the rules on advertising set by media regulator Ofcom last year. Ads must not include celebrities with "strong youth appeal", such as pop, TV or sports stars. Care must be taken with, for example, ads featuring cartoons, sports and animals.
Any suggestion that the drink helps in sexual contact is ruled out, although "mild flirtation or romance may be shown".
A second section says ads can't claim alcohol has a health benefit or can help in dieting.
The guidelines almost certainly mean previous campaigns, such as Smirnoff's flirtatious couple in an opera box, would not be allowed. But it is unknown whether ads, such as Red Square's cartoon stencil characters, would be permitted.
Searl declined to discuss specific campaigns, but said: "I think the view among the majority of drinks producers is [that this is] a reasonably fair stab at guidelines."
He added: "We know that we have to bring some significant changes in how we advertised in the past, but we want to make sure we can carry on, even if certain adverts needed adjusting."
The rules could mean an end to certain celebrity endorsements of drinks if the personalities appealed to under 18s. But Bacardi and Scottish Courage, who use George Clooney and Peter Kay respectively, said this would not affect them because these stars do not have a significant youth following.
The consultation on the guidance notes and the health claims rule will end on 11 April and 6 June respectively. The proposals will then be sent to Ofcom for approval.
BCAP said it aims to have the approved guidance notes published by June.