Complaint over Corona Beer television advertisement dismissed by Advertising Standards Authority

The complainant was concerned the advertisement encouraged the mixing of water activities with the consumption of alcohol. Photo / Stock

A complaint about a television advertisement for Corona Beer featuring several people swimming at the beach has been shot down by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The advert, produced by food and beverage company Lion, shows several people enjoying a Corona after exiting the water.

It cuts to a lime being placed inside the neck of a Corona bottle and a shot of the people sitting on the beach at sunset with the tagline "From where you'd rather be".

The complainant claimed the advertisement undermines safety messages advising punters not to mix water activities with the consumption of alcohol.

"This advertisement shows young people having a good time swimming then racing out of the water to have another good time consuming Corona - equating this with 'being where you want to be'," it read.

"I have 7 grandchildren ranging in age from 11-20 and I want them rather to be exposed to things that show you can have a good time without alcohol being the prime factor."

The relevant provisions relating to the complaint came under the Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol.

However, the complaints board chair ruled there were no grounds for the complaint to proceed.

This was largely based on the precedent formed by a previous decision to a complaint addressing similar concerns.

"The Complaints Board then considered whether the advertisement linked drinking
with unsafe or hazardous practices," the ruling read.

"The majority said there was nothing in the advertisement which suggested the men were going to re-enter the water after drinking."

The ruling noted consumers were likely to deduct the actors in the advert were likely having a beer while watching their friend surf a last wave.

"The majority noted some of the men had begun to undress and pack up their surf boards and the advertisement evoked an end-of-the-day feeling."

It was therefore ruled there was nothing in the advertisement which encouraged people to participate in hazardous activities after drinking.

The chair also noted there was nothing which implied the people on the beach were drinking excessively or irresponsibly or that they were below the legal drinking age.

There was therefore no apparent breach of the Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol and the complaint would not proceed.