Attempts To Ban Alcohol Ad Fail
23 April 2014, 05:59 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
An attempt to ban an ad by the North East Alcohol Office, highlighting the link between alcohol and cancer, has failed.
Balance fought back against complaints that claimed the advert was misleading and irresponsible.
Some of the complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) came from the alcohol industry.
The ASA's now ruled that the Balance advertisement was not in breach of the UK code of broadcast advertising.
You can see the ad, which ran in the North East, below.
Colin Shevills, Director of Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, said:
"We are delighted at the ASA's decision - this is a real victory for the health community. Sections of the alcohol industry have tried to prevent us providing health messages to the public which is highly irresponsibly.
It also shows an industry which is putting profits before health and wellbeing - similar tactics to those that were employed by the tobacco industry.
The aim of this advertising campaign was to make people aware of the link between alcohol and seven types of cancer, then directing viewers to further information online so they could make their own, informed decision about how much they drink.
Here in the North East of England we experience some of the worst alcohol related health problems.
Unlike tobacco, very few people associate alcohol with cancer and we need these perceptions to change.
In some of our most recent studies only 21% of people in the North East stated that alcohol greatly increases the risk of cancer - with 18% believing that alcohol doesn't increase the risk at all."
