Despite Ad Ban, BrewDog Relaunches Golden Can Campaign

Controversial microbrewery brand BrewDog has relaunched its golden can campaign despite seeing messaging for it banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over claims they were misleading. The campaign began in November 2020 with a tweet from the company announcing that it had hidden 10 “solid gold” cans of its Punk IPA within 12-packs for consumers to find. It was valued at £15,000 alongside other prizes and drew 25 complaints. The issue began when the cans were found only for the winners to discover that they were not, as stated, made of “solid gold” at all but were, in fact, gold plated. The social media messaging that fell foul The ban related to the initial tweet and two other social media messages sent in February for a similar secondary campaign which stated: “The hunt for the gold can is on” and “We’ve hidden five gold-wrapped cans in 12, 24 and 48-packs of Hazy Jane on our online store. Find the wrapped can and you can claim a solid gold, 24-carat one!”. A follow-up Facebook post repeated the message and added: “The real gold cans are tracked, monitored and delivered by an armored drone fitted with the latest anti-pillage technology, probably.” In response to the complaints being made, BrewDog explained that the cans had been manufactured by goldsmiths Thomas Lyte and provided a certificate from the manufacturer that confirmed the cans were plated in 24-carat gold. It also admitted that the wording that claimed the cans were made of “solid gold” was used in error and that they amended the posts once it was noticed in subsequent messaging as they could not edit the original tweet. Very little brain power is taken up at the ASA worrying about BrewDog—Guy Parker, CEO, ASA The error was a cause of a “miscommunication” between its marketing and social media teams when repeated on the Hazy Jane gold cans messaging. They said they put “more robust measures” to avoid another repeat of the mistake. It also claimed the single 330ml can made purely of gold would have been worth around $500,000 based on the value of gold at the time (not including the manufacturing costs using a bespoke cast-iron mold). As a result, the brand did not think that “any reasonable consumer” would assume they had won over half a million dollars of gold when the value was set at around £15,000 each. Despite this explanation, the ASA upheld the complaints as being “misleading” and ruled that the campaign messages should not run again in their current form. BrewDog was also told not to state or imply that consumers could win solid gold and to conduct their promotions “equitably and fairly” to avoid unnecessary disappointment. The campaign relaunch However, on the same day as the ruling was announced, the company relaunched the campaign with “a gold-plated apology.” “We hold our hands up, we got the first gold can campaign wrong. Whilst we still stand by the valuation, we decided if we do it again, we do it right. That’s why we want to give 10 lucky people the chance to win big—way, way bigger than before,” the company said on its website in revealing the new competition. The company's chief executive and co-founder James Watt has also announced the intention to compensate the original 28 winners after they complained that they had not received anything upon seeing the new campaign go live. In a statement, Watt explained: “I reflected on this overnight and decided that since we’re offering a cash alternative in our new gold can promotion, we ought to do the same for winners of the original promo. I will be funding this personally by forgoing salary for as long as it takes.” https://twitter.com/BrewDogJames/status/1450764846098751492?s=20 The new rules will see “a gold emblem” placed across 17 bundles which will be available to purchase through its online store. One winner will be chosen every day over 10 days starting Oct. 21 from customers who will then be able to select a prize, such as a diamond-encrusted gold-plated can or £25,000 in cash. A 12-pack gets the customer entered into the drawing, a 24-pack gains two entries and a 48-pack gains four entries. Each winner will also be given the chance to donate £5,000 to charity too. Previous ASA battles with BrewDog BrewDog is no stranger to the ASA, having been censored on several prior occasions by the advertising watchdog over the years. Earlier this year the brewer saw social media posts claiming its Clean and Press hard seltzer was “a health drink” banned. BrewDog's hard seltzer health claim Another battle began last year when James Watt said that “The ASA can go f**k themselves. We are in the midst of an existential climate crisis,” after it banned a campaign against the use of CO2 which read “F**k You C02” while highlighting its carbon negative credentials. This was followed by 25 complaints about the offending poster being visible to children. There have been several other run-ins between the two organizations over the years as well, with BrewDog’s stunts regularly causing offense to members of the public while gaining mass attention in return. Speaking to Adweek earlier this year, the chief executive of the ASA, Guy Parker spoke about the run-ins with the company: “You're always going to get some companies that have that strategy of being provocative to court notoriety,” he outlined citing United Colors of Benetton as another. “Very little brain power is taken up at the ASA worrying about BrewDog,” he added when outlining how much else the organization has to deal with day-to-day. How Britain’s ASA Is Embracing Tech to Keep Pace With Misleading Ads and Digital Scammers

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Despite Ad Ban, BrewDog Relaunches Golden Can Campaign to Drive Online Sales

The original social media messages were banned for being misleading.

The social media messaging that fell foul

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The social media messaging that fell foul

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Stephen Lepitak