The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found an advertisement for Conor McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout in breach of regulations, having an excessively sexualised nature. Out of a variety of media, the ASA’s latest bulletin upheld complaints against 18 adverts, one of which was the Forged Irish Stout Instagram clip. This promo showed models dressed in skimpy outfits, centring on the cleavage and bottoms, congregating around a vehicle while consuming Forged Stout. A critique expressed concern about sexual content being associated with alcohol. The ASA committee agreed in their review that the female models were objectified without any creative reasons.
Furthermore, several alcohol-related adverts drew criticism. A radio advertisement by the Musgrave Group (Centra) was called out for its hurried speech, particularly the line “enjoy alcohol sensibly”.
The National Dairy Council also faced adverse judgement on a television advert which manifested as a female rugby player endorsing milk produced from “our beautiful and rich green grass” as being nutritious and sustainably sourced. The complainants challenged this representation, stating that it was a clear case of “greenwashing”. It was stressed that the Irish agricultural sector is the leading source of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss due to livestock farming and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser application. The ASA supported this perspective, maintaining that while Irish dairy farming is striving towards sustainability, claims of being “sustainably produced” have to be backed by proof.
A grievance was also supported against an estate agent speculated to have understated the walking distance between a Dublin north side property and the city centre.
In a promotion, MoveHome publicised a property for sale in Glasnevin, claiming it was a mere 28-minute stroll from the city’s hub. However, a critic contested this assertion as deceptive, stating that the slightest possible time to walk, using the Spire on O’Connell Street as a reference, was 50 minutes.
Additionally, a complainant tagged another promotion by MoveHome, which characterised a residential building as having three bedrooms, as misleading. The complainant pointed out that two of these rooms did not fulfil the requisite criteria to qualify as bedrooms as they were devoid of the required two exits, specified as a door and a window. This complaint was likewise sustained.