Conor McGregor beer advert KO’d by advertising watchdog

The advertising watchdog has delivered a knockout blow to a beer ad featuring mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, and has ruled that the advert should not run again as the Dubliner is ‘a hero of the young’.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland received two complaints following the airing of the television spot for Budweiser, which features McGregor walking through city settings in Ireland and the US, with an accompanying voiceover from the fighter.

The advert also invited entrants for a ‘Dream Big’ contest run by the beer brand. Both complainants considered that it was irresponsible and inappropriate to associate Conor McGregor with an alcohol product, and one of the complainants said that linking alcohol to an “aggressive” sport like mixed martial arts was “sending out a dangerous message to young children”.