Diageo has escaped sanction from the UK’s advertising authorities after complaints that a Christmas TV ad for its Baileys liqueur brand featured “violent and aggressive” behaviour.
The ad, which can be viewed above, features a scene based on the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. A dancing couple are interrupted by a group of aggressive-looking men, which leads to a battle played out through ballet, climaxing in the woman kicking a man in the face.
Nine complainants, who were not identified, argued that the ad breached the ASA’s code as it “featured violent and aggressive behaviour in the context of an ad promoting alcohol”.
However, Diageo denied the charge and flagged that the ad was set in a “fairy-tale land” based on a famous scene from The Nutcacker. The film was deliberately and obviously fictional, the company said.
The ASA agreed and rejected the complaints. “We considered that viewers would understand that the ads were a fictional and stylised retelling of a popular Christmas ballet,” it said in a ruling.
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By GlobalDataDiageo is due to report its half-year results tomorrow.
