Belong ad campaign cleared by ASA

Complaints about an advertising campaign for one of Britain’s best-selling lagers have been dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The agency announced today that three ads – one poster and two TV – in Carling’s Belong campaign have been cleared of implying that “alcohol was integral to successful socialising and being part of a group”.
The TV ads inspired three complaints from viewers after they were screened last year. The poster ad, which featured the silhouettes of a group of astronauts with the words “you know who your mates are” and “belong” in Carling colours in the bottom right-hand corner, inspired just one complaint.
Carling brand director Martin Coyle said he was pleased the ASA had agreed with the approval the ads were originally given by the Committee of Advertising Practice and Clearcast. He added: "We take the regulatory process very seriously and will continue to take a leading role in ensuring beer is enjoyed responsibly."
All of the ads focused on a tight-knit group of friends coming together to overcome adversity in unlikely situations. Carling brand-owner Coors told the ASA the ads placed everyday scenarios faced by young men in the fantastic settings of space and polar exploration. They did not suggest Carling was a necessary part of the scenes of camaraderie the ads depict, said the brewer.
The first TV ad shows a group of astronauts staring into a glowing nebula only for a mysterious voice to tell one of them he cannot enter the light because he is wearing trainers. In a show of solidarity the group supports its trainer-clad member and dismisses the celestial doorman by walking away from the light. One of them says “it looks rubbish anyway”.
In the second, Coors told the ASA that it had transplanted the ordinary scenario of a group of friends deciding whether to go out for the night to an unlikely polar setting. Reinforcing the message of group unity, the ad ends with the group trudging off into a blizzard to celebrate one of the members’ birthday.
Coors told the ASA that the ads involved “warm, friendly and uplifting scenarios” and depicted a “light-hearted take on camaraderie and the bond of friendship within a group”. It stated that none of the individuals are shown drinking Carling and the visors in the space ad are a “clear visual reminder” that beer cannot be drank in space. The brewer roundly rejected all of the allegations against it.
The ASA ruled that in the space TV ad Coors was associating its brand with “collective conviviality” and not suggesting that success in a social occasion depended on the consumption of Carling. The body agreed that the poster would be best understood by those who had seen the accompanying TV ad and said the commercial did not breach any codes of practice. It said the polar TV ad did not suggest that alcohol could overcome problems.  
Despite the complaints, the Belong campaign has proved a hit with Carling drinkers and is continuing unabated with a new range of 10-second TV ads. The brand’s website lists the polar and space setting ads as the most viewed respectively on its ‘Carling TV’ pages.