Budweiser ad complaint upheld by watchdog

Budweiser said it had paid for the purchase and installation of solar panels that were a source of 100% renewable electricity.

A senator has had a complaint against Budweiser upheld by the advertising watchdog regarding its claims around renewable energy.

Sinn Féin's Lynn Boylan objected to an online advertisement which claimed Budweiser was bringing "100% renewable electricity to 100 Irish pubs", among other things.

Ms Boylan objected to the claim as the advert did not state how the pubs were going to be powered by solar electricity when they are traditionally open at night.

Budweiser said it had paid for the purchase and installation of solar panels that were a source of 100% renewable electricity.

The company said "at no point had it claimed any pub's power was 100% generated by 100% renewable power sources".

The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) upheld Ms Boylan's complaint, saying the claim made in the advert on the company's homepage implied the pubs would be fully powered by renewable electricity.

Budweiser was told it should not include the figure 100% in future use.

National Lottery claim

Meanwhile, the Public Accounts Committee took issue with the National Lottery for its claim that "90% of National Lottery money goes back into the community".

The committee said the statement was misleading because the figure included unclaimed prize money which was diverted to incremental marketing and advertising of the National Lottery. 

In response, it was pointed out the TV advert included on-screen text that stated: 2020 financials were 58% prizes, 27% good causes, 5% retailer commission.

Although the National Lottery said the claims made were accurate, independently verified and compliant with advertising standards, it would qualify any similar future statements. 

Nine other complaints were upheld by the ASAI, which included misleading price claims, a gambling ad directed at a minor, and misleading social media ads.

A complaint was lodged against Rathwood for an advert that showed a barbecue was on sale for €2,139, down from an original price of €4,379. The complainant said they did not believe the item had ever been advertised at the higher price. 

Rathwood said "unclear instructions" had been received by the external IT team, which led to the incorrect sale price displayed on site.

Another complaint involved a parent whose son was served an advert for "Bet €10 & Get €50 in Free Bets" while using the LiveScore app, despite the account being registered as belonging to someone under 18.

LiveScore claimed the issue arose from a human typographical error in its ad management software.

Connacht Whiskey Company came under fire from one person who complained about an image posted to its social media profile showing whiskey stills and casks with the text 'The Connacht Distillery, Ireland — 150 Years of History'.

The complaint pointed out the company has only been in existence since 2013.

The company said another ad in the campaign set made the point there were 150 years when there was no distillery in Mayo before the company was formed. They also said another ad in this set further broke down the message of ‘bringing distillation back to Mayo After 150 years’.