An Instagram post for Strongbow Strawberry Cider, published on Thursday 12 June 2025 by comedian Al Nash, featured a fictional sketch with Nash, preparing his wedding vows, being pressured by a talking can to abandon his work and attend a barbecue.
While intended as a parody of a well-known Spider-Man scene, the ad showed the can calling the man a “coward” and saying “you make me sick” after he declined a social invitation. The can then continued to urge Nash to join the barbecue, idealising the experience.
Despite initial resistance, he eventually picks up the can and is shown drinking it at the barbecue. The sketch ended with him delivering his wedding vows, comparing his love to a can of strawberry Strongbow.
A complaint was raised to the ASA, arguing the advert suggested alcohol was essential and took precedence over significant life events.
In its response, Heineken UK defended the commercial as a humorous and surreal sketch, not intended to be taken literally, arguing the can represented an exaggerated internal monologue.
Responsible marketers
The company added the advert was intended to celebrated friendship rather than promoting alcohol as a solution to stress or problems.
Nash also defended the post, stating the punchline comparing love to cider was not a serious statement, and that feedback showed viewers understood it as parody.
However, the ASA concluded the sketch breached UK broadcasting code (Edition 12) under rule 18.6.
Despite acknowledging the comedic tone and fictional nature of the advert, the regulator found the can’s repeated attempts to persuade the man to abandon his responsibilities undermined the importance of personal commitments.
The portrayal of alcohol as the gateway to enjoyment and relief from stress was also deemed irresponsible.
Asa result, the ASA ruled the sketch implied alcohol was indispensable, taking priority over a significant life event, and therefore must not appear again in its current form. Strongbow subsequently confirmed the post had been removed.
A Heineken UK spokesperson said: “As responsible marketers, we take great care in ensuring all our content abides to the letter and the spirit of the code.
Irresponsible portrayal
“In this case, although we believe that the humorous and fictitious sketch was intentionally absurd and surreal, with the desired outcome of the protagonist not wanting to miss out on a barbecue with his friends, we respect the council’s decision and have removed the social post.”
The ASA also banned two social media adverts from German herbal liqueur brand Jägermeister this week, ruling both ads irresponsibly portrayed alcohol as a key component of successful social events.
Part of the brand’s #BestNights campaign, the commercials featured captions like “manifesting the best nights of your life” and “serving the best night of your life,” implying that alcohol was essential to social success.
One advert showed a bottle of Jägermeister Manifest above cupped hands with glowing stars, suggesting the drink had transformative power. Another depicted the bottle unveiled on a silver platter, reinforcing its role in creating ideal social experiences.
The ASA ruled that both advertisements, which were paid-for ads on Facebook and Instagram, irresponsibly portrayed alcohol as a key component of successful social events, violating code rules 18.1 and 18.3.
Jägermeister accepted the ruling and withdrew commercials, adding it was committed to reviewing future advertising to ensure compliance. The investigation was part of a broader effort using AI to monitor alcohol advertising online.
