Ireland: Board found InBev’s beer promotion campaign liable to encourage immoderate or irresponsible alcohol consumption

A drinks promotion for Beck’s Vier encouraged irresponsible drinking, it was ruled October 06, the Irish Examiner posted October 09. A World Cup Football shirt promotion would have led directly to immoderate or irresponsible consumption of alcohol, a complaints board found.

Diageo Ireland complained that the campaign, run by InBev Ireland during the summer World Cup, encouraged the purchase of four pints of Becks Vier on one drinking occasion.

MEAS (Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society) ruled that reward schemes which are only redeemable over short periods encouraged the purchase and consumption of large quantities of alcohol.

It found that while the promotional period was over a six-week period, the point of sale promotional material stated that it will be most effective if run during three German world cup matches.

It also ruled that the use of phrases such as collect four tokens, while stocks last, and 40 football shirts available per outlet, gave a message of urgency to consumers to drink the maximum quantity of Beck’s Vier at the earliest occasion to secure the prize.

The panel also felt there should have been a limitation in the terms and conditions of the promotion on the number of Tokens to be given to a customer per drinking occasion

InBev Ireland, who ran the campaign, said the text Drink Beck’s Sensibly had been printed on all of the promotional materials produced, but stated it would communicate this message more clearly in the future.

Despite the move, the panel found that the campaign was a breach of MEAS’s Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks.

MEAS – also the Irish word for Respect – promotes the enjoyment of alcohol in a mature, sensible and appropriate manner.

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