A Video on Demand (VOD) ad for Hendricks Gin, seen in June 2024, combined real-life and animated footage. A voice-over invited viewers to “follow your curiosity.” The ad featured a man in Victorian-style clothing travelling in an underwater vehicle resembling a large diver’s helmet, set in an animated, mostly black-and-white, fantasy-like underwater world.

He encountered a turquoise, winged seahorse, also dressed in Victorian attire, which tipped its top hat at him. 

Following the seahorse…

…he emerged in a vibrant, exotic setting filled with plants, animated people, and creatures in human clothing dancing to music, which he joined. 

The ad concluded with the voice-over stating, “Hendricks Gin. Refreshingly curious.”

Issue: One person complained, questioning whether the ad might have particular appeal to those under 18.

Response: William Grant & Sons Ltd, trading as Hendricks Gin, argued that the ad’s Victorian surrealism style was inherently old-fashioned and adult-oriented. They believed it did not reflect or associate with youth culture and would not attract those under 18. The ad featured a monochrome setting with old-fashioned items like a monocular scope, binoculars, and hardback books, and characters in adult Victorian clothing. They felt the artistic style was relatable to adults but distinct from children’s entertainment.

They noted that the animal representations were surreal rather than cute, the dancing was awkward and adult, and the music was mature without attention-grabbing lyrics. The voice-over was mature, slow, and low, unlikely to appeal to under-18s. They believed the ad complied with CAP advice and ASA rulings on similar ads. Clearcast supported these points.

Assessment: Not upheld. The CAP Code states that alcohol ads must not particularly appeal to those under 18 by reflecting or associating with youth culture or showing juvenile behaviour. Alcohol ads shown on VOD services must avoid content having particular appeal to children, regardless of the time at which they were shown or the programmes they appeared alongside

While the narrative arc may have been arguably reminiscent of a few children's films, books, etc, at a very high level, and in broad terms some animated content might have particular appeal to children, the animation style and the characters appearing in this particular ad were unlikely to do so. 

The ad featured mature human characters in period clothing and intricately drawn, and while the illustrations and fantasy world depicted were colourful and surreal, the animals and general illustrations weren't cute or cuddly, and weren't particularly child-friendly in appearance. 

The ASA noted that the style of dancing shown in the ad was awkward and adult rather than youthful, and the music was adult in theme and did not have attention-grabbing lyrics. There were no references to youth culture.

Therefore, the ASA concluded that the ad was unlikely to appeal to those under 18 and did not breach the Code. The ad was investigated under CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 18.14 (Alcohol) but was not found in breach.

The full ASA decision is available here.

Make mine a double

It's a gorgeous ad, and it's refreshing to see the ASA take such a grown up and sophisticated decision.  It's all too easy to err on the side of caution when it comes to these subjective issues. But, clearly, the involvement of alcohol has not impaired the ASA's judgement in this case.

Perhaps there is still room for creativity in UK alcohol advertising. Cheers to that!