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Controversial "It's not the drinking, it's how we're drinking" advertisements by the Alcohol Advisory Council (Alac) have won a Gold Effie award for effective advertising.
Judges praised the "hard-hitting" ads for finding traction in a cluttered environment.
Alac chairman Peter Glensor said the ads had attracted a large number of complaints but the council made no apologies.
The advertisements won a Gold Effie for Clemenger BBDO at the awards ceremony in Auckland last week.
